A Disappearance in Drury Lane by Ashley Gardner
I was anxiously awaiting the release of this book. It’s the eighth in the Captain Gabriel Lacy seres, and it’s been a long time between visits with such good friends. I was so excited to be able to get this as an e-book for the Kindle my housemate and I share the day it was released for sale. And I dived right in. I made sure the Kindle was charged up before I downloaded it, and once it was on, I read straight through to the end.
Even with nearly two years between visits, I fell right back in with Captain Lacey and his friends. It was a fun visit, and while I raced through the book, it never felt rushed.
This episode was a mystery surrounding a missing actress. The ins and outs of backstage at the Drury Lane theater were interesting, and there were definitely some red herrings in the mix to keep me guessing as to “whodunit.” The new wrinkle of the Bow Street Runner out for Mr. Denis was a frustrating plot point, and I hope he is dealt with swiftly in the next episode. I do not like this new Runner; but maybe that’s the point of his character.
It’s hard for me to say much more without spoiling the mystery, so I will say that A Disappearance in Drury Lane was a most enjoyable and entertaining way to spend a Saturday. I really can’t wait for the next installment. I hope I do not have to wait another two years.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Tea with warm scones and clotted cream
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar … Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein
My housemate found this book browsing in an independent bookstore when we were living in New Orleans. She explained the book looked interesting, and anything that uses jokes to explain a subject can’t be all bad, right? And the book does look interesting. Our copy has an international safety orange with peek-a-boo windows isolating Plato and a platypus in a larger illustration of famous jokes in a bar. It is a nice book to look at.
And my housemate was right, it was not all bad. But it was more of a slog than I would have liked, and not quite as funny or as easy to understand as the blurb made it sound.
I know she picked this book, not only for the cover and title, but also to try and fill a void in her, and by extension, our, education. When my housemate was in college, she had to pick two introductory social science classes to take in order to fulfill the requirements for her Bachelor of Science degree. The choices were: Comparative Religions, Economics, Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, or Sociology. As a business major, Economics was a core major requirement and she could not use that toward the social science requirement, and the semester she wanted to get her social science requirement done Comparative Religions was not offered. That left her with Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology as options. Psychology was offered at a time that conflicted with a class she had to take for her business major, so she had to choose two classes from Geography, Philosophy, and Sociology. Geography was an easy choice, and in the end, she opted to take Sociology because rumor was it was the easiest of the social science classes. Based on the studying she did for it, I’m not sure the rumor was true, but after reading this book, I am sure she made the right decision as far as her classes.
The book is subtitled “Understanding Philosophy though Jokes.” I’m sure that was the goal of the authors, but it fell a bit short as far as explaining the subject for me. It seemed as though the authors started out trying to explain a principle or thought in Philosophy and then use a joke or jokes as an example of the idea, but they didn’t really succeed as far as I could tell. It would have been better if, they introduced the idea, used the joke as an example and then re-visited the idea through the joke. Yes, it would mean that they might have to waste a good deal of time and effort to explain the joke, but in so doing they would have also better explained the point they were trying to make.
Overall, I came away not knowing much more about Philosophy than I knew when I started, but I know quite a few more jokes. Then again, the authors did explain that much of Philosophy is discussing ideas rather than ever coming to any conclusions about those ideas, so maybe I understand it better than I think.
Either way, this is not a book that I need to read again. And as much as I enjoyed the authors’ chatty style, I do not really have to seek out anything else they have done.
Ohh, and the title joke about Plato and a platypus … no, you’ll just have to read the book yourself to find out.
One Bear’s Opinion: Two cups of tea left to go room temperature while contemplating the sound of one hand clapping
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
My housemate found this book browsing in an independent bookstore when we were living in New Orleans. She explained the book looked interesting, and anything that uses jokes to explain a subject can’t be all bad, right? And the book does look interesting. Our copy has an international safety orange with peek-a-boo windows isolating Plato and a platypus in a larger illustration of famous jokes in a bar. It is a nice book to look at.
And my housemate was right, it was not all bad. But it was more of a slog than I would have liked, and not quite as funny or as easy to understand as the blurb made it sound.
I know she picked this book, not only for the cover and title, but also to try and fill a void in her, and by extension, our, education. When my housemate was in college, she had to pick two introductory social science classes to take in order to fulfill the requirements for her Bachelor of Science degree. The choices were: Comparative Religions, Economics, Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, or Sociology. As a business major, Economics was a core major requirement and she could not use that toward the social science requirement, and the semester she wanted to get her social science requirement done Comparative Religions was not offered. That left her with Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology as options. Psychology was offered at a time that conflicted with a class she had to take for her business major, so she had to choose two classes from Geography, Philosophy, and Sociology. Geography was an easy choice, and in the end, she opted to take Sociology because rumor was it was the easiest of the social science classes. Based on the studying she did for it, I’m not sure the rumor was true, but after reading this book, I am sure she made the right decision as far as her classes.
The book is subtitled “Understanding Philosophy though Jokes.” I’m sure that was the goal of the authors, but it fell a bit short as far as explaining the subject for me. It seemed as though the authors started out trying to explain a principle or thought in Philosophy and then use a joke or jokes as an example of the idea, but they didn’t really succeed as far as I could tell. It would have been better if, they introduced the idea, used the joke as an example and then re-visited the idea through the joke. Yes, it would mean that they might have to waste a good deal of time and effort to explain the joke, but in so doing they would have also better explained the point they were trying to make.
Overall, I came away not knowing much more about Philosophy than I knew when I started, but I know quite a few more jokes. Then again, the authors did explain that much of Philosophy is discussing ideas rather than ever coming to any conclusions about those ideas, so maybe I understand it better than I think.
Either way, this is not a book that I need to read again. And as much as I enjoyed the authors’ chatty style, I do not really have to seek out anything else they have done.
Ohh, and the title joke about Plato and a platypus … no, you’ll just have to read the book yourself to find out.
One Bear’s Opinion: Two cups of tea left to go room temperature while contemplating the sound of one hand clapping
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, August 25, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry Greenwood
This is the twelfth book in Ms. Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series. I have to say, I probably would not have picked up the series had one of my housemates not given the first book to the other. But having found them, I want to share them with everyone I know who would enjoy them -- which is not to say I want to share them with everyone I know. I know a few people who would not enjoy this series. My housemate feels the same way, and in fact, we share the very copies of the books we read with her father. We buy them in Australia, where they are more readily available, read them (it’s a family joke that we must be careful not to read the words off), and then forward them on to her father for his enjoyment. This book is one of four that we need to finish before an upcoming trip with her father. If we finish them all before the trip ends, we can leave the books with him rather than having to mail them to him -- a win/win for everyone.
But back to Murder in Montparnasse. This was the best of the Phryne adventures to date in my opinion. The mystery itself was easy to figure out, and I had the murderer pegged as soon as he was introduced as a character. The subplot took a bit more figuring out, especially with some the author’s descriptions at the ends of some of the chapters and a few red herrings. It was not the mystery plots that made this the best adventure. It was the back-story and flashbacks to Phryne’s life in post-War Paris. I usually have a low tolerance for name dropping, and the flashback remembrances were full of name dropping, but in this case it was not as overt and in-you-face as that kind of thing can be.
Americans (and their bears) are taught very little about World War I if only because the US education system has deemed, by and large, things in which the US was not involved are not worthy of discussion. So any real discussion of World War I had to be done outside of schooling and on one’s own. My housemate’s father was interested in World War I, and in particular the Gallipoli Campaign, so we probably came through knowing more than the average person by dint of being exposed to it. But still, our education is sorely lacking for that period in history.
I am not saying that fictional mystery novels are the best places to go for historical information, but they are not bad for setting the scene and encouraging more in-depth research and investigation. One could do worse than Phryne Fisher for historical context. But this adventure was not only about the historical context, but a good deal about the character of Phryne herself. We are all products of our times, our upbringings, and our adventures. This book went a good way to explaining why Phryne is who she is. And that was the best part.
Add to that an interesting, but possibly throw-away, discussion about the young no longer heeding the advice of the old because the old “advised them to die,” and it was a book that will have an impact on my long after we pass it on to my housemate’s father.
I always recommend reading series books in order, but this is not one that needs to be read in sequence. It would help to already know the characters, but because so much of the book takes place before the series begins anyway, it is not sensitive to the over-arching plot line. Definitely check out Phryne Fisher mysteries if you can find them. But do not worry if you cannot find other and have to read this one first, or out of order, just read it.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five cups strong Parisian coffee and a plate of brownies (preferably not from Alice B. Toklas’ infamous recipe)
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the twelfth book in Ms. Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series. I have to say, I probably would not have picked up the series had one of my housemates not given the first book to the other. But having found them, I want to share them with everyone I know who would enjoy them -- which is not to say I want to share them with everyone I know. I know a few people who would not enjoy this series. My housemate feels the same way, and in fact, we share the very copies of the books we read with her father. We buy them in Australia, where they are more readily available, read them (it’s a family joke that we must be careful not to read the words off), and then forward them on to her father for his enjoyment. This book is one of four that we need to finish before an upcoming trip with her father. If we finish them all before the trip ends, we can leave the books with him rather than having to mail them to him -- a win/win for everyone.
But back to Murder in Montparnasse. This was the best of the Phryne adventures to date in my opinion. The mystery itself was easy to figure out, and I had the murderer pegged as soon as he was introduced as a character. The subplot took a bit more figuring out, especially with some the author’s descriptions at the ends of some of the chapters and a few red herrings. It was not the mystery plots that made this the best adventure. It was the back-story and flashbacks to Phryne’s life in post-War Paris. I usually have a low tolerance for name dropping, and the flashback remembrances were full of name dropping, but in this case it was not as overt and in-you-face as that kind of thing can be.
Americans (and their bears) are taught very little about World War I if only because the US education system has deemed, by and large, things in which the US was not involved are not worthy of discussion. So any real discussion of World War I had to be done outside of schooling and on one’s own. My housemate’s father was interested in World War I, and in particular the Gallipoli Campaign, so we probably came through knowing more than the average person by dint of being exposed to it. But still, our education is sorely lacking for that period in history.
I am not saying that fictional mystery novels are the best places to go for historical information, but they are not bad for setting the scene and encouraging more in-depth research and investigation. One could do worse than Phryne Fisher for historical context. But this adventure was not only about the historical context, but a good deal about the character of Phryne herself. We are all products of our times, our upbringings, and our adventures. This book went a good way to explaining why Phryne is who she is. And that was the best part.
Add to that an interesting, but possibly throw-away, discussion about the young no longer heeding the advice of the old because the old “advised them to die,” and it was a book that will have an impact on my long after we pass it on to my housemate’s father.
I always recommend reading series books in order, but this is not one that needs to be read in sequence. It would help to already know the characters, but because so much of the book takes place before the series begins anyway, it is not sensitive to the over-arching plot line. Definitely check out Phryne Fisher mysteries if you can find them. But do not worry if you cannot find other and have to read this one first, or out of order, just read it.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five cups strong Parisian coffee and a plate of brownies (preferably not from Alice B. Toklas’ infamous recipe)
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, August 11, 2013
A Bear in the City
Saturday was National Bookshop Day in Australia. And as I have been very good over the past few months, my housemates told me I could join them in their book-shopping adventures. It’s only fair, as I read the books too.
The day started out with a drive up to Melbourne. The drive itself was fairly uneventful, but we did stop at a drive-through carwash on the way. Once my housemate explained to me that it was okay because no water could get in the car, I rather enjoyed the experience. It was interesting, particularly when the surface protectant was sprayed -- it was blue and red foam that made interesting drops and rivulets on the windows.
After the carwash, it was to the parking garage and then to the first stop of the day. My housemate had planned three bookshop stops, at independent booksellers in Melbourne’s CBD. The first was at the aptly named Hill of Content Bookshop. The shop is down the hill from Melbourne's Parliament House. It’s a smallish bookstore but the second level makes it feel bigger than it is. We looked at several books while browsing, and bought two mysteries: The Janissary Tree and A Test of Wills. Both looked interesting, though I think my housemate has been dithering about The Janissary Tree for some time; she was quick to grab it as a definite purchase. Before heading downstairs, we wandered through the Travel section, but found nothing we didn't already know. Downstairs in the Fiction section, we looked at the remaining two books in Frank Moorhouse’s Edith Trilogy, but decided against them as we slogged through the initial book, Grand Days. Checking out was nice and easy, and we got a free bookmark. I always like when you get bookmarks in the books you purchase -- it saves having to locate one when you start the book, and is a nice reminder of where you got the book.
Leaving Hill of Content Bookshop, we walked about a block up the hill to The Paperback Bookshop. To say The Paperback Bookshop is tiny does a disservice to the word tiny. But the shop uses space fairly well and there was a large selection. We were on the lookout for a book (Evan’s Gallipoli) my housemate had seen on a previous visit. She meant to get it for her father. She was very happy to see it was still there and after a stop in the Fiction and Crime Fiction sections, was happy to leave with just that book. On the way out, we had to walk through the Biography/History section and just happened to see The Three Emperors. Now I know my housemate’s favorite historical period is Turn-of-the-Century Russia leading to the abdication and subsequent assassination of Tsar Nicholas II, and I knew she was not aware this book was available, so I made sure to alert her to the book. She bought it without more than a second thought.
Two bookshops done, and another one to go, we made a slight detour. My housemate’s birthdays are coming up -- they are eleven days apart -- and one of my housemates had a great idea for the other’s present. So we took a detour to a large department store to pick up the gift. As it turned out, the gift was on sale, so it was fortuitous that we were there that day. I hope he likes the gift.
The gift was not really heavy, but it was in a large box, so it was a bit bulky and we were getting quite warm in out winter clothes and coats. Even though we had to walk past the third bookstore to get to the car, we decided to do that and then come back to the bookstore unencumbered rather than drag the bulky purchase around the store. While at the car dropping off the gift, we also dropped off our coats and the books we had gotten at the first two stores and an unneeded umbrella that I didn’t really want to admit was uncomfortable to sit on. Freed of the unnecessaries, we headed back down the hill to the third bookstore of the day, Reader’s Feast.
One of my housemates says that Reader’s Feast is the kind of bookstore that makes you want to stay and browse and the kind that makes you want to read books. I can see his point, but Reader’s Feast is more the kind of bookstore that makes books works of art worthy of being displayed on shelves. It is in a building that spans a block, so it’s long and narrow, but still airy. As usual in any bookstore, our first stop was the Mystery/Crime Fiction section and the browse there was rewarded with two more books my housemate was looking for to share with her Dad. We picked up the next two next-in-series in Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series: Queen of the Flowers and Death by Water. Then we wandered over to a huge display of Penguin Books. In the US, Penguin books are not sold with the generic orange & white color-blocked covers. Penguin Classics had the same black borders and work-of-art-covers as they do here in Australia, but the orange & white books were not common. Maybe Americans really do judge books by their covers. The orange & white books feel a bit generic and library-ish to me, but it if means we can have more books, I’m willing to forego interesting covers. And there is a new line of Penguin Crime Fiction in green & white covers. We investigated The Murders in the Rue Morgue, but decided against Poe based on the thriller aspect of his writing. Maybe next time we’ll give Poe a go. But this time we decided on Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone and Edgar Wallace’s The Clue of the New Pin. That made four books already and we were hardly past the frost door of the shop. It was time to move on to Fiction for some browsing. In Fiction, we debated A Confederacy of Dunces; being native New Orleanians, both my housemate and I feel we should read the classic, but the covers were not right and we decided it would feel wrong reading that book in anything but the cover we know. Moving on from Fiction, we headed to Cooking. My housemate is in the market for new cookbooks. And she was spoilt for choice at Reader’s Feast. There were several vegetarian cookbooks that looked promising. And a couple of bread making cookbooks looked interesting. We flicked through an Australian Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, but when we saw that most of the recipes were ones we already had in our existing BH&G cookbook library, we discounted that as an option. Looking on the bottom shelf, we found a smallish book called Light Bites. It was exactly what we were looking for, some small plates, some main dishes, some soups, some side dishes, and some desserts. My housemate was sold. And with that book, her hands were full so it was time to check out. At the checkout, we entered the National Bookshop Day store raffle (but were not winners). On the way out, we stopped in the travel section to see if there was a new, interesting and helpful guide for our upcoming cruise of Eastern Canada/New England, but there was now so we headed to a craft store for a very important purchase.
The last item on our shopping list for the day was to check out ribbons for my fellow bear, Spencer. Spencer’s bow is in need of replacement and my housemate thought that he would like it better if I helped pick out the new ribbon. We briefly considered green & yellow “Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi” ribbon, but I knew that was just for the shock value and not for real. After about ten minutes’ consideration we decided on a nice cream-colored organza ribbon, very much like the ribbon in Spencer’s current bow. We thought it was a by-the-yard ribbon, but it turned out to be a by-the-spool ribbon, so we were happy. There is now plenty of ribbon for all Spencer’s bear-bow needs.
That last purchased ticked off out list, my housemate decided she was a bit hungry and very much thirsty. The craft store was in a mall with a food court so we headed down there to find what was on offer. We found a fast-food Mexican-ish place and got an order of seasoned french fries and a bottle of water. I had some of the seasoned fries, but none of the water while we flipped through the new cookbook investigating the recipes. Most sounded good though I have my doubts about Iceberg Lettuce Soup and Beet Ravioli with Dill Cream Sauce. While we were eating, we got some texts from our housemate and he said he was finished at the record store -- he had left us to our own devices at Hill of Content Bookshop to head to a Melbourne suburb where a large record store was closing down. It was a win/win for everyone. His texts said he was on the way back into town and would meet us when he found us.
We finished up our snack and headed back to the car to drop off the books, and me. My housemates had decided to use this trip to try out a Kansas City Barbeque place but I wanted no part of that. We met our housemate about a block from the car and walked back together. At the car, we quickly checked out each others' purchases and they left me to look after things in the car while they went to dinner. I had a lovely time flicking through all the books -- there are some new pictures of Tsar Nicholas II and King George V in The Three Emperors that I know my housemate has not seen. She will be happy about those.
My housemates returned from dinner, a bit overfull from the huge servings at the barbeque joint (I understand this is common at barbeque joints) and were ready to head home. After getting everything settled we were off.
The drive home was uneventful and included a stop for frozen cokes. Don’t tell them, but I took a couple of sips of the frozen cokes in the dark. They were very good. There was a traditional Coke one and a Strawberry-Kiwi one. I think I liked the Coke one a bit better, but only because it was brown and the drips would not show as much on my fur as the red of the Strawberry-Kiwi.
We got home before 9:30, but I was really too tired to investigate the new purchases and was in bed not too long after that. On the whole it was a great day out. I really enjoyed it.
I was excited to head out to National Bookshop Day, but really felt it was under-advertised and attended. Books are not exactly a niche market, and I really expected bigger crowds. Maybe that was because I am an avid reader, but I really felt almost disappointed with the poor turnout at the shops. My housemate and I deliberately avoided big-box chain bookstores, heading instead to the smaller independent shops. We walked past a big-box bookstore that had fundraisers dressed as fictional characters (although I am still trying to understand the Star Wars Storm-Troopers and Jar-Jar Binks; I am sure they were only books AFTER the movie came out). The characters really made it hard to walk past the store without wondering what was going on. I know the small, independent bookshops can't really compete with the big-box store's marketing, but I still felt a little bit cheated. National Bookshop Day or not, I definitely recommend that if you can, head out to independent bookshops in your area. You never know what treasures you may find in them. Ohh, and talk to the clerks, they will help you if you have no idea what you want. Last thought for the day, Classic books are so much more than the stuff that is required reading in schools; check out the stuff that is not assigned reading, that’s where the fun is.
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
The day started out with a drive up to Melbourne. The drive itself was fairly uneventful, but we did stop at a drive-through carwash on the way. Once my housemate explained to me that it was okay because no water could get in the car, I rather enjoyed the experience. It was interesting, particularly when the surface protectant was sprayed -- it was blue and red foam that made interesting drops and rivulets on the windows.
After the carwash, it was to the parking garage and then to the first stop of the day. My housemate had planned three bookshop stops, at independent booksellers in Melbourne’s CBD. The first was at the aptly named Hill of Content Bookshop. The shop is down the hill from Melbourne's Parliament House. It’s a smallish bookstore but the second level makes it feel bigger than it is. We looked at several books while browsing, and bought two mysteries: The Janissary Tree and A Test of Wills. Both looked interesting, though I think my housemate has been dithering about The Janissary Tree for some time; she was quick to grab it as a definite purchase. Before heading downstairs, we wandered through the Travel section, but found nothing we didn't already know. Downstairs in the Fiction section, we looked at the remaining two books in Frank Moorhouse’s Edith Trilogy, but decided against them as we slogged through the initial book, Grand Days. Checking out was nice and easy, and we got a free bookmark. I always like when you get bookmarks in the books you purchase -- it saves having to locate one when you start the book, and is a nice reminder of where you got the book.
Leaving Hill of Content Bookshop, we walked about a block up the hill to The Paperback Bookshop. To say The Paperback Bookshop is tiny does a disservice to the word tiny. But the shop uses space fairly well and there was a large selection. We were on the lookout for a book (Evan’s Gallipoli) my housemate had seen on a previous visit. She meant to get it for her father. She was very happy to see it was still there and after a stop in the Fiction and Crime Fiction sections, was happy to leave with just that book. On the way out, we had to walk through the Biography/History section and just happened to see The Three Emperors. Now I know my housemate’s favorite historical period is Turn-of-the-Century Russia leading to the abdication and subsequent assassination of Tsar Nicholas II, and I knew she was not aware this book was available, so I made sure to alert her to the book. She bought it without more than a second thought.
Two bookshops done, and another one to go, we made a slight detour. My housemate’s birthdays are coming up -- they are eleven days apart -- and one of my housemates had a great idea for the other’s present. So we took a detour to a large department store to pick up the gift. As it turned out, the gift was on sale, so it was fortuitous that we were there that day. I hope he likes the gift.
The gift was not really heavy, but it was in a large box, so it was a bit bulky and we were getting quite warm in out winter clothes and coats. Even though we had to walk past the third bookstore to get to the car, we decided to do that and then come back to the bookstore unencumbered rather than drag the bulky purchase around the store. While at the car dropping off the gift, we also dropped off our coats and the books we had gotten at the first two stores and an unneeded umbrella that I didn’t really want to admit was uncomfortable to sit on. Freed of the unnecessaries, we headed back down the hill to the third bookstore of the day, Reader’s Feast.
One of my housemates says that Reader’s Feast is the kind of bookstore that makes you want to stay and browse and the kind that makes you want to read books. I can see his point, but Reader’s Feast is more the kind of bookstore that makes books works of art worthy of being displayed on shelves. It is in a building that spans a block, so it’s long and narrow, but still airy. As usual in any bookstore, our first stop was the Mystery/Crime Fiction section and the browse there was rewarded with two more books my housemate was looking for to share with her Dad. We picked up the next two next-in-series in Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series: Queen of the Flowers and Death by Water. Then we wandered over to a huge display of Penguin Books. In the US, Penguin books are not sold with the generic orange & white color-blocked covers. Penguin Classics had the same black borders and work-of-art-covers as they do here in Australia, but the orange & white books were not common. Maybe Americans really do judge books by their covers. The orange & white books feel a bit generic and library-ish to me, but it if means we can have more books, I’m willing to forego interesting covers. And there is a new line of Penguin Crime Fiction in green & white covers. We investigated The Murders in the Rue Morgue, but decided against Poe based on the thriller aspect of his writing. Maybe next time we’ll give Poe a go. But this time we decided on Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone and Edgar Wallace’s The Clue of the New Pin. That made four books already and we were hardly past the frost door of the shop. It was time to move on to Fiction for some browsing. In Fiction, we debated A Confederacy of Dunces; being native New Orleanians, both my housemate and I feel we should read the classic, but the covers were not right and we decided it would feel wrong reading that book in anything but the cover we know. Moving on from Fiction, we headed to Cooking. My housemate is in the market for new cookbooks. And she was spoilt for choice at Reader’s Feast. There were several vegetarian cookbooks that looked promising. And a couple of bread making cookbooks looked interesting. We flicked through an Australian Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, but when we saw that most of the recipes were ones we already had in our existing BH&G cookbook library, we discounted that as an option. Looking on the bottom shelf, we found a smallish book called Light Bites. It was exactly what we were looking for, some small plates, some main dishes, some soups, some side dishes, and some desserts. My housemate was sold. And with that book, her hands were full so it was time to check out. At the checkout, we entered the National Bookshop Day store raffle (but were not winners). On the way out, we stopped in the travel section to see if there was a new, interesting and helpful guide for our upcoming cruise of Eastern Canada/New England, but there was now so we headed to a craft store for a very important purchase.
The last item on our shopping list for the day was to check out ribbons for my fellow bear, Spencer. Spencer’s bow is in need of replacement and my housemate thought that he would like it better if I helped pick out the new ribbon. We briefly considered green & yellow “Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi” ribbon, but I knew that was just for the shock value and not for real. After about ten minutes’ consideration we decided on a nice cream-colored organza ribbon, very much like the ribbon in Spencer’s current bow. We thought it was a by-the-yard ribbon, but it turned out to be a by-the-spool ribbon, so we were happy. There is now plenty of ribbon for all Spencer’s bear-bow needs.
That last purchased ticked off out list, my housemate decided she was a bit hungry and very much thirsty. The craft store was in a mall with a food court so we headed down there to find what was on offer. We found a fast-food Mexican-ish place and got an order of seasoned french fries and a bottle of water. I had some of the seasoned fries, but none of the water while we flipped through the new cookbook investigating the recipes. Most sounded good though I have my doubts about Iceberg Lettuce Soup and Beet Ravioli with Dill Cream Sauce. While we were eating, we got some texts from our housemate and he said he was finished at the record store -- he had left us to our own devices at Hill of Content Bookshop to head to a Melbourne suburb where a large record store was closing down. It was a win/win for everyone. His texts said he was on the way back into town and would meet us when he found us.
We finished up our snack and headed back to the car to drop off the books, and me. My housemates had decided to use this trip to try out a Kansas City Barbeque place but I wanted no part of that. We met our housemate about a block from the car and walked back together. At the car, we quickly checked out each others' purchases and they left me to look after things in the car while they went to dinner. I had a lovely time flicking through all the books -- there are some new pictures of Tsar Nicholas II and King George V in The Three Emperors that I know my housemate has not seen. She will be happy about those.
My housemates returned from dinner, a bit overfull from the huge servings at the barbeque joint (I understand this is common at barbeque joints) and were ready to head home. After getting everything settled we were off.
The drive home was uneventful and included a stop for frozen cokes. Don’t tell them, but I took a couple of sips of the frozen cokes in the dark. They were very good. There was a traditional Coke one and a Strawberry-Kiwi one. I think I liked the Coke one a bit better, but only because it was brown and the drips would not show as much on my fur as the red of the Strawberry-Kiwi.
We got home before 9:30, but I was really too tired to investigate the new purchases and was in bed not too long after that. On the whole it was a great day out. I really enjoyed it.
I was excited to head out to National Bookshop Day, but really felt it was under-advertised and attended. Books are not exactly a niche market, and I really expected bigger crowds. Maybe that was because I am an avid reader, but I really felt almost disappointed with the poor turnout at the shops. My housemate and I deliberately avoided big-box chain bookstores, heading instead to the smaller independent shops. We walked past a big-box bookstore that had fundraisers dressed as fictional characters (although I am still trying to understand the Star Wars Storm-Troopers and Jar-Jar Binks; I am sure they were only books AFTER the movie came out). The characters really made it hard to walk past the store without wondering what was going on. I know the small, independent bookshops can't really compete with the big-box store's marketing, but I still felt a little bit cheated. National Bookshop Day or not, I definitely recommend that if you can, head out to independent bookshops in your area. You never know what treasures you may find in them. Ohh, and talk to the clerks, they will help you if you have no idea what you want. Last thought for the day, Classic books are so much more than the stuff that is required reading in schools; check out the stuff that is not assigned reading, that’s where the fun is.
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume 3 by Michael Bond
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train
This omnibus edition contains three full novels in one volume. I read all three novels before reviewing them altogether. I could have read the novels one at a time, but I do not like to leave books unfinished, and reading the novels one at a time felt too much like leaving an unfinished book.
First though, yes, this Michael Bond is exactly the same as the Michael Bond who is the author of the Paddington Bear series. And in all honesty, I have only read one Paddington Bear book, but I have seen the animated shorts featuring Paddington. I shall have to search out more of the books, because I understand he is a very good bear, even if he gets things all a bit jumbled before he works them out.
Monsieur Pamplemousse is a series of mysteries, well not even really mysteries, as the mysterious situations are really never "solved." The books are much more a collection of humorous events in Monsieur Pamplemousse's life. Many of the situations are not of his creating, exactly, but more often than not set into motion by the Director of Le Guide, the hotel and restaurant review publication for which Monsieur Pamplemousse works. Most of the situations are ridiculous and made even more so when the back story of Monsieur Pamplemousse's early retirement from the Paris police force is mentioned. I shall not spoil any of the books by telling this bit, though it is mentioned, if never adequately explained, in every novel.
As I said, this is not a series of serious novels, and was never intended to be. You simply cannot expect a series of novels with the main characters named Mister Grapefruit and French Fries to be serious or heavy reading. Ohh, yes, I forgot to mention my favorite character in the novels. If the situations are more often than not set into motion by the Director, they are usually brought to a successful conclusion by the actions of Monsieur Pamplemousse's faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites. Pommes Frites is a former police dog, and while not the swiftest thinker of dogs, he is very deliberate and thorough. He usually figures out the situation long before Monsieur Pamplemousse. Every novel needs a character like Pommes Frites.
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm is set in a town on the northern French Atlantic coast and revolves around the recovery of works of art stolen and hidden by the Germans during their occupation of France. Well, that's the back story anyway. Like most of the other Monsieur Pamplemousse books, the back story is merely a plot device to set Monsieur Pamplemousse in motion and to engage him in as many comedic compromising situations as possible. This one had a particularly fun scene involving a hat and a walk through town. It was definitely a fun episode.
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location has Monsieur Pamplemousse serving as the culinary consultant to a series of commercials based on the Bible for a newly introduced perfume. The situations in this episode actually involve the Director and not Monsieur Pamplemousse, but he still has to extricate the Director from the dicey situation. It's nice to see the Director in strife because of his plans. It was a great adventure! I do wish I could see the commercials though. I would love to be able to see perfume commercials based on the Bible!
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train is set on Monsieur Pamplemousse's home-turf in Paris, and it's nice to see both him and Pommes Frites at home. The premise of this episode is that Monsieur Pamplemousse must escort the Director's niece from Rome to Paris for her school holidays. Hilarity ensues when Monsieur Pamplemousse and Pommes Frites lose the young lady and are then under threat from the Director's Uncle Caputo. It's a great episode in the series and does not disappoint as an excellent escape from reality.
I would highly recommend the Monsieur Pamplemousse series, and this omnibus edition is perfect for packing three books one one trip. It is a bit unwieldy without a table or other ledge on which to rest the large tome, but it's worth it for the three-in-one aspect. My only real complaint is that the proofreader seems to have lost their place in a few sections of a couple of the novels. It's a bit hard to forgive, but still it's definitely worth the time!
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea with yummy pain au chocolat, three times over
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train
This omnibus edition contains three full novels in one volume. I read all three novels before reviewing them altogether. I could have read the novels one at a time, but I do not like to leave books unfinished, and reading the novels one at a time felt too much like leaving an unfinished book.
First though, yes, this Michael Bond is exactly the same as the Michael Bond who is the author of the Paddington Bear series. And in all honesty, I have only read one Paddington Bear book, but I have seen the animated shorts featuring Paddington. I shall have to search out more of the books, because I understand he is a very good bear, even if he gets things all a bit jumbled before he works them out.
Monsieur Pamplemousse is a series of mysteries, well not even really mysteries, as the mysterious situations are really never "solved." The books are much more a collection of humorous events in Monsieur Pamplemousse's life. Many of the situations are not of his creating, exactly, but more often than not set into motion by the Director of Le Guide, the hotel and restaurant review publication for which Monsieur Pamplemousse works. Most of the situations are ridiculous and made even more so when the back story of Monsieur Pamplemousse's early retirement from the Paris police force is mentioned. I shall not spoil any of the books by telling this bit, though it is mentioned, if never adequately explained, in every novel.
As I said, this is not a series of serious novels, and was never intended to be. You simply cannot expect a series of novels with the main characters named Mister Grapefruit and French Fries to be serious or heavy reading. Ohh, yes, I forgot to mention my favorite character in the novels. If the situations are more often than not set into motion by the Director, they are usually brought to a successful conclusion by the actions of Monsieur Pamplemousse's faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites. Pommes Frites is a former police dog, and while not the swiftest thinker of dogs, he is very deliberate and thorough. He usually figures out the situation long before Monsieur Pamplemousse. Every novel needs a character like Pommes Frites.
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm is set in a town on the northern French Atlantic coast and revolves around the recovery of works of art stolen and hidden by the Germans during their occupation of France. Well, that's the back story anyway. Like most of the other Monsieur Pamplemousse books, the back story is merely a plot device to set Monsieur Pamplemousse in motion and to engage him in as many comedic compromising situations as possible. This one had a particularly fun scene involving a hat and a walk through town. It was definitely a fun episode.
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location has Monsieur Pamplemousse serving as the culinary consultant to a series of commercials based on the Bible for a newly introduced perfume. The situations in this episode actually involve the Director and not Monsieur Pamplemousse, but he still has to extricate the Director from the dicey situation. It's nice to see the Director in strife because of his plans. It was a great adventure! I do wish I could see the commercials though. I would love to be able to see perfume commercials based on the Bible!
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train is set on Monsieur Pamplemousse's home-turf in Paris, and it's nice to see both him and Pommes Frites at home. The premise of this episode is that Monsieur Pamplemousse must escort the Director's niece from Rome to Paris for her school holidays. Hilarity ensues when Monsieur Pamplemousse and Pommes Frites lose the young lady and are then under threat from the Director's Uncle Caputo. It's a great episode in the series and does not disappoint as an excellent escape from reality.
I would highly recommend the Monsieur Pamplemousse series, and this omnibus edition is perfect for packing three books one one trip. It is a bit unwieldy without a table or other ledge on which to rest the large tome, but it's worth it for the three-in-one aspect. My only real complaint is that the proofreader seems to have lost their place in a few sections of a couple of the novels. It's a bit hard to forgive, but still it's definitely worth the time!
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea with yummy pain au chocolat, three times over
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, June 9, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Series Review
Lady Arianna Regency Mysteries by Andrea Penrose
Sweet Revenge
The Cocoa Conspiracy
Recipe for Treason
I am reviewing this series in its entirety rather than one book at a time because I think it is very important to read the whole series. The main mystery carries through the three books, but the backstory is not recapitulated in the second and third books, so if you come to the series late, you are lost. Each book has an independent mystery, but the main focus carries through from the first to the third book.
I wish I could say I thoroughly enjoyed the books, but the truth is I did not. They had good parts, not the least of which are the chocolate recipes at the beginning of each chapter. There were some good scenes, but on the whole the books seemed both overlong and too short all at the same time.
It is obvious that the author did some research, but not enough to truly understand the scandals or science on which she based her mysteries. The fact that she never actually explains the scandal, just refers to it in vague terms is a big indication that she does not understand it herself. And while I applaud using the South Sea Bubble as a basis for the mystery, if the author can only repeat the Wikipedia highlights, it really leaves a bad feeling in the mouths of readers who actually do understand the scandal.
In the notes for the third book, the author admits that she does not have a complete understanding of the science involved in the plot, but loved the idea of using real people as characters and needed a plot that would allow them to be part of the action. And that is fair enough; history is full of characters in search of an author. But they need an author who can do their expertise justice, not one who wants to pepper historical fiction with real, if somewhat obscure, people.
Further to my skepticism of the author's research, even though the author cites a couple of sources indicating that chocolate was available in certain high-end, luxury shops in Paris at the time, I have serious doubts that chocolate was as widely available as is portrayed in and around London at the time. It certain flies in the face of history of Cadbury I read not long ago. Even if it were available, it would certainly be prohibitively expensive for anyone but the very rich. I also doubt that the author has ever lived in any country but the US, and does not have a fair grasp of the workings of imports and exports to other countries. Even in a modern world products are not as easily available as the author indicates they would be 200 years ago when distribution was much more difficult.
I feel all I have to say about this series is nitpicking. And I am sorry about that. But on the whole, I was disappointed by this series. It had such potential, but fell far short of realizing even a bit of that. I would say, if you are thinking about this series, to give it a pass. There are far better Regency Period mysteries out there -- I suggest Rosemary Stevens' Beau Brummell series or Kate Ross' Julian Kestrel series. While neither of those have the chocolate connection, both are better researched and better formulated and plotted mysteries than Ms. Penrose's series.
One Bear's Opinion: One cup of lukewarm chocolate-infused tea
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sweet Revenge
The Cocoa Conspiracy
Recipe for Treason
I am reviewing this series in its entirety rather than one book at a time because I think it is very important to read the whole series. The main mystery carries through the three books, but the backstory is not recapitulated in the second and third books, so if you come to the series late, you are lost. Each book has an independent mystery, but the main focus carries through from the first to the third book.
I wish I could say I thoroughly enjoyed the books, but the truth is I did not. They had good parts, not the least of which are the chocolate recipes at the beginning of each chapter. There were some good scenes, but on the whole the books seemed both overlong and too short all at the same time.
It is obvious that the author did some research, but not enough to truly understand the scandals or science on which she based her mysteries. The fact that she never actually explains the scandal, just refers to it in vague terms is a big indication that she does not understand it herself. And while I applaud using the South Sea Bubble as a basis for the mystery, if the author can only repeat the Wikipedia highlights, it really leaves a bad feeling in the mouths of readers who actually do understand the scandal.
In the notes for the third book, the author admits that she does not have a complete understanding of the science involved in the plot, but loved the idea of using real people as characters and needed a plot that would allow them to be part of the action. And that is fair enough; history is full of characters in search of an author. But they need an author who can do their expertise justice, not one who wants to pepper historical fiction with real, if somewhat obscure, people.
Further to my skepticism of the author's research, even though the author cites a couple of sources indicating that chocolate was available in certain high-end, luxury shops in Paris at the time, I have serious doubts that chocolate was as widely available as is portrayed in and around London at the time. It certain flies in the face of history of Cadbury I read not long ago. Even if it were available, it would certainly be prohibitively expensive for anyone but the very rich. I also doubt that the author has ever lived in any country but the US, and does not have a fair grasp of the workings of imports and exports to other countries. Even in a modern world products are not as easily available as the author indicates they would be 200 years ago when distribution was much more difficult.
I feel all I have to say about this series is nitpicking. And I am sorry about that. But on the whole, I was disappointed by this series. It had such potential, but fell far short of realizing even a bit of that. I would say, if you are thinking about this series, to give it a pass. There are far better Regency Period mysteries out there -- I suggest Rosemary Stevens' Beau Brummell series or Kate Ross' Julian Kestrel series. While neither of those have the chocolate connection, both are better researched and better formulated and plotted mysteries than Ms. Penrose's series.
One Bear's Opinion: One cup of lukewarm chocolate-infused tea
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
The Cat Next Door by Marian Babson
Marian Babson's books always surprise me. I have read quite a few, and with each new one, I remember that I really like them and should read more. Usually I stop at just one though, so I get to have that surprise each time.
The Cat Next Door is one of the many books that were retitled for the American market. Originally this book was published as Deadly Deceit and frankly that is a far better title. It appears to me that publishers of books in the US, especially mystery books, have to have a unifying theme for the "series." Whether the hook is the detective's hobby, the detective's business, the setting, or some other connection, every mystery book is described as a "something or other mystery." There are chef mysteries, teacher mysteries, librarian mysteries, mom mysteries, crafting mysteries, tea shop mysteries, dog mysteries, vampire mysteries, Regency mysteries, Jane Austen mysteries, the list goes on and on and on. I fully expect to see series of "One Eyed, Left-Handed, Vegan, Wedding Planner Werewolf" mysteries on the shelf the next time I'm in a bookstore.
Admittedly, I read many mysteries, and many mystery series with such dubious series descriptions. But Marian Babson's books are not one of those. If only because Marian Babson's books are not a series in the way the word is traditionally understood. Marian Babson authored some 40 books, and of those, maybe 10 or 12 make up a couple of series. The rest of her works are independent books, with no character, location, or plot cross-over or continuation.
I think the books have all been retitled for the US market, highlighting the "cat" aspect so that they can be marketed as a "series." This is a disservice to both the author, whose works can surely stand on their own, and to the reader, as it gives the impression that the books are connected in some way. They are not. And what's more, the cats in the titles usually have very little to do with the mystery. They are most often merely house-pets that are mentioned in passing, simply characters who pop and in out of the story as they float in and out of the main characters' days.
That was certainly the case here. The title cat, a registered purebred Abyssinian cat named Tickety-Boo, called Tikki, was the family's pet, who had decided to move in next door for the duration of the plot events. Beyond that, the cat had no real role in the story. His scenes could have been completely removed and the book would have been no different. So calling the book The Cat Next Door is quite misleading.
Anyway, the mystery was quite good. Like all Marian Babson books I've read, the first two-thirds of the book is background information, situation set-up, and plot exposition. Many readers get frustrated by this, but I find it interesting. By the time that the actual murder occurs, I am usually so wrapped up in the back-story that it makes it difficult to figure out the killer. And in my mind, that is what makes a good mystery. For this one, I was pleased by the mystery, but there were some points made in the back-story that I wish the author had flushed out, so I was a bit disappointed by plot twists that went nowhere.
Overall, it was a very good book, and reminded me why I like Marian Babson's books so much and that I really should read more of them.
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea in a window seat with a purring cat on an autumn afternoon
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Marian Babson's books always surprise me. I have read quite a few, and with each new one, I remember that I really like them and should read more. Usually I stop at just one though, so I get to have that surprise each time.
The Cat Next Door is one of the many books that were retitled for the American market. Originally this book was published as Deadly Deceit and frankly that is a far better title. It appears to me that publishers of books in the US, especially mystery books, have to have a unifying theme for the "series." Whether the hook is the detective's hobby, the detective's business, the setting, or some other connection, every mystery book is described as a "something or other mystery." There are chef mysteries, teacher mysteries, librarian mysteries, mom mysteries, crafting mysteries, tea shop mysteries, dog mysteries, vampire mysteries, Regency mysteries, Jane Austen mysteries, the list goes on and on and on. I fully expect to see series of "One Eyed, Left-Handed, Vegan, Wedding Planner Werewolf" mysteries on the shelf the next time I'm in a bookstore.
Admittedly, I read many mysteries, and many mystery series with such dubious series descriptions. But Marian Babson's books are not one of those. If only because Marian Babson's books are not a series in the way the word is traditionally understood. Marian Babson authored some 40 books, and of those, maybe 10 or 12 make up a couple of series. The rest of her works are independent books, with no character, location, or plot cross-over or continuation.
I think the books have all been retitled for the US market, highlighting the "cat" aspect so that they can be marketed as a "series." This is a disservice to both the author, whose works can surely stand on their own, and to the reader, as it gives the impression that the books are connected in some way. They are not. And what's more, the cats in the titles usually have very little to do with the mystery. They are most often merely house-pets that are mentioned in passing, simply characters who pop and in out of the story as they float in and out of the main characters' days.
That was certainly the case here. The title cat, a registered purebred Abyssinian cat named Tickety-Boo, called Tikki, was the family's pet, who had decided to move in next door for the duration of the plot events. Beyond that, the cat had no real role in the story. His scenes could have been completely removed and the book would have been no different. So calling the book The Cat Next Door is quite misleading.
Anyway, the mystery was quite good. Like all Marian Babson books I've read, the first two-thirds of the book is background information, situation set-up, and plot exposition. Many readers get frustrated by this, but I find it interesting. By the time that the actual murder occurs, I am usually so wrapped up in the back-story that it makes it difficult to figure out the killer. And in my mind, that is what makes a good mystery. For this one, I was pleased by the mystery, but there were some points made in the back-story that I wish the author had flushed out, so I was a bit disappointed by plot twists that went nowhere.
Overall, it was a very good book, and reminded me why I like Marian Babson's books so much and that I really should read more of them.
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea in a window seat with a purring cat on an autumn afternoon
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
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