Roll: 7
Monopoly Property: Pennsylvania Railroad
Book: Fer-de-Lance
Author: Rex Stout
Fer-de-Lance is the first in the Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series. Nero Wolfe has long been a favorite of my housemate’s mother, and we have wanted to read the series since we read Murder by the Book a couple of years ago. But that was not why we chose to read this book right now. Naturally, we prefer to read a series in order, and starting with the first one is the best way to do that, but we chose this book because it’s primarily set in New York, both New York City and further out in the country in places like White Plains. The task for Pennsylvania Railroad was to read a book set in a place you’d like to visit. And I’d like to visit New York, especially if I could have a meal at Rusterman’s, one of the few places Nero Wolfe goes on the rare occasions when he leaves his house.
Fer-de-Lance is not one of the Nero Wolfe mysteries I had heard in the car as a book-on-tape on long family drives, or one of the books that was turned into an episode of A Nero Wolfe Mystery in the most recent incarnation of the series in tv. So I knew nothing about the book other than it was the first-in-series and set up the series. I am glad I didn’t know anything about book before I read it. It was fun to discover the characters on my own.
Many other reviewers have noted that the Nero Wolfe books are more about the interaction between the characters, mostly Archie and Nero, than the about the mystery or the plot. And that is true. The books are at their heart a story of two men. Over the course of the 47-book series, the characters do not age and the settings only change with the times as a reaction to the author moving along in time. The Archie of the last book is exactly the same as the Archie of the first book. It is explained that Nero Wolfe has a set schedule in the first book, and in the last, he is still as rigid in that schedule as he ever was. The series is timeless, and the consistency of the characters makes it so.
The mystery of Fer-de-Lance is interesting because it is a rather unusual method of murder. And yes, the title snake does make an appearance in the book. It’s an ingenious use of the reptile.
Over all the book was a fun introduction to the characters and knowing that there are 46 more adventures (well, 44, since we have already read two books of the series) to be had with Archie and Nero makes it more fun to meet them now. I highly recommend everyone make an acquaintance with Archie and Nero. They are good friends, made even more so by the number of adventures to be had with them, and the consistency of their characters across those adventures.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five glasses of milk with a plate of yummy cookies
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Sunday, January 15, 2017
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Roll: 4
Monopoly Property: Vermont Avenue
Book: Clammed Up
Author: Barbara Ross
Clammed Up is the first in the Maine Clambake series. I initially got it because Bar Harbor is one of my favorite stops on the Canada/New England cruise and I thought it would be fun to read a mystery set in a similar place.
I was a bit disappointed by the book. The setting was lovely, but the characters were not incredibly likable. I found myself not really caring what happened to them. I wanted to finish the book, because the mystery was intriguing, but as for the characters, I do not particularly like them. The main characters seem to be incredibly selfish and self-involved, so much that I was really hoping for one of them to be the murderer, if only to justify my dislike of them.
The book was okay, and I did enjoy visiting the Maine coast, even a fictional Maine coast, but I do not necessarily have to seek out the rest of the series.
I am always torn when I do not like the book. I feel that I should, and then I should be able to say really nice, good things about the book. But the truth is, Clammed Up is, to me anyway, an average cozy mystery. It was not terrible, but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be either. It’s just an average book all the way around.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of lemonade drunk while watching the tide go out
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Monopoly Property: Vermont Avenue
Book: Clammed Up
Author: Barbara Ross
Clammed Up is the first in the Maine Clambake series. I initially got it because Bar Harbor is one of my favorite stops on the Canada/New England cruise and I thought it would be fun to read a mystery set in a similar place.
I was a bit disappointed by the book. The setting was lovely, but the characters were not incredibly likable. I found myself not really caring what happened to them. I wanted to finish the book, because the mystery was intriguing, but as for the characters, I do not particularly like them. The main characters seem to be incredibly selfish and self-involved, so much that I was really hoping for one of them to be the murderer, if only to justify my dislike of them.
The book was okay, and I did enjoy visiting the Maine coast, even a fictional Maine coast, but I do not necessarily have to seek out the rest of the series.
I am always torn when I do not like the book. I feel that I should, and then I should be able to say really nice, good things about the book. But the truth is, Clammed Up is, to me anyway, an average cozy mystery. It was not terrible, but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be either. It’s just an average book all the way around.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of lemonade drunk while watching the tide go out
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Roll: 4
Monopoly Property: Income Tax
Book: Pretty Lady
Author: Marian Babson
The task for this property was to read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the lowest rating on Goodreads. In my case, that was Pretty Lady by Marian Babson, with an average rating of 2.8/5. I found that interesting, as Marian Babson is usually a good read and worth the time. Sometimes the book are slow to start, but by the end, it’s definitely moving faster and the conclusion is usually interesting and well-plotted. In fact, most times I read a book by Marian Babson, I end up thinking to myself that I should read more of her books, and read them more often.
Pretty Lady started in a disturbing manner, and I was quite concerned as to where the plot would end up. In fact, it was so disturbing I was considering giving up on the book. But by the time I got to the end, I was glad I read the book and finished it.
The characters were real people and I like that in books. In some books the characters are nice and friendly, but it’s obvious they live in a fictional world. The same way in many television shows and movies, the characters do not exist in the same world real people do. I find this phenomenon to be particularly noticeable in cozies where amateurs are the investigators — either because they are allowed to stick their nose in an official police investigation without real or significant consequence, or because there are so many people in such small towns that are victims of murder. In my whole life, and admittedly most of it was spent in a largish metropolitan area, not a small town, I have only known one person who was murdered, and there was no question as to who committed the murder.
But Marian Babson’s characters are real, and they live in a real world, and have real people problems, feelings, and lives. It’s comforting to see that in books.
Pretty Lady was a typical Marian Babson mystery. There was a great deal of plot exposition before the murder and once the murder was committed, the book ended within pages. The set-up to the story is far more important than the action of the story in Babson’s mysteries. And that may be one of the reasons they have a lower than average rating on Goodreads. But if you don’t mind the kind of writing Marian Babson does, then you will not mind her books, and may even enjoy them.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three Cups of Tea with some nice, but store-bought biscuits
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Monopoly Property: Income Tax
Book: Pretty Lady
Author: Marian Babson
The task for this property was to read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the lowest rating on Goodreads. In my case, that was Pretty Lady by Marian Babson, with an average rating of 2.8/5. I found that interesting, as Marian Babson is usually a good read and worth the time. Sometimes the book are slow to start, but by the end, it’s definitely moving faster and the conclusion is usually interesting and well-plotted. In fact, most times I read a book by Marian Babson, I end up thinking to myself that I should read more of her books, and read them more often.
Pretty Lady started in a disturbing manner, and I was quite concerned as to where the plot would end up. In fact, it was so disturbing I was considering giving up on the book. But by the time I got to the end, I was glad I read the book and finished it.
The characters were real people and I like that in books. In some books the characters are nice and friendly, but it’s obvious they live in a fictional world. The same way in many television shows and movies, the characters do not exist in the same world real people do. I find this phenomenon to be particularly noticeable in cozies where amateurs are the investigators — either because they are allowed to stick their nose in an official police investigation without real or significant consequence, or because there are so many people in such small towns that are victims of murder. In my whole life, and admittedly most of it was spent in a largish metropolitan area, not a small town, I have only known one person who was murdered, and there was no question as to who committed the murder.
But Marian Babson’s characters are real, and they live in a real world, and have real people problems, feelings, and lives. It’s comforting to see that in books.
Pretty Lady was a typical Marian Babson mystery. There was a great deal of plot exposition before the murder and once the murder was committed, the book ended within pages. The set-up to the story is far more important than the action of the story in Babson’s mysteries. And that may be one of the reasons they have a lower than average rating on Goodreads. But if you don’t mind the kind of writing Marian Babson does, then you will not mind her books, and may even enjoy them.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three Cups of Tea with some nice, but store-bought biscuits
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Roll: Start
Monopoly Property: Go
Book: Superfluous Women
Author: Carola Dunn
This was not only my first read of 2017, but it marked the start of my 2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge. I was reading on the site where I found the original Monopoly Reading Challenge that most people planned out their reading ahead of time, but having done reading challenges before where the reading had to be carefully planned out, I knew that strategy was not for me. So although I read the tasks for each property, I didn’t investigate further or plan out reading for each task. I think that is the best strategy for me, and am looking forward to figuring out which books on my shelves or Kindle fit each property’s task when I land on it.
Everyone starts at Go, naturally. Go is a free read, meaning I could read any book I wanted. After scanning my shelves, I decided to read the latest (though hopefully not the last) Daisy Dalrymple mystery. It had been a while since I caught up with Daisy, but time did not seem to matter a bit. Daisy is still as fun as ever, and as good a friend as she always was. And Alec and the gang at the Yard are just as exasperated with her adventures as ever.
This was a fun adventure and introduced group of people, that while I had known, never really considered needing a group name. The title refers to the women who outnumbered men in England following the ravages of the first World War and the 1918 Influenza epidemic. There were truly not enough men for every woman to marry, and the unmarried women were collectively referred to as “Superfluous Women” or “Surplus Women” as though they were factory over-runs. It was a an issue, because despite these women’s best efforts, they did not fit in the societal norms at the time.
The Superfluous Women (though I hate calling the group that, as it seems belittling and derogatory) of the title were a group of three women who moved into a house together after circumstances made it necessary for them to begin again in a new town. The small town they moved to, like many towns, did not know quite what to make of them, or what to do with them, but by the end of the book, things were definitely looking a bit better for the women.
Because it was a murder mystery, there had to be a murder, and as usual, Daisy was mixed up in it from finding the body to the end of the investigation. The body had been found in the women’s newly purchased house, and while the police didn’t actually suspect them, both they and their personal stories are important parts of the investigation.
The mystery itself was interesting, and I had suspicions about the murderer, but it was fun to read the book and see how all the pieces and red herrings fit together in the investigations — both official and Daisy’s. Most of the regular characters were present, and even though Tom Tring had retired from the force, he was present and involved in the investigation. It would not have been the same without Tom involved. I hope he will be involved in future Daisy adventures as well.
I hope there will be more Daisy adventures. I enjoy Daisy and her friends and the mysteries are light fun reads, just the way to kick off a year’s reading well.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Fortifying Tea and some very nice biscuits
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Monopoly Property: Go
Book: Superfluous Women
Author: Carola Dunn
This was not only my first read of 2017, but it marked the start of my 2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge. I was reading on the site where I found the original Monopoly Reading Challenge that most people planned out their reading ahead of time, but having done reading challenges before where the reading had to be carefully planned out, I knew that strategy was not for me. So although I read the tasks for each property, I didn’t investigate further or plan out reading for each task. I think that is the best strategy for me, and am looking forward to figuring out which books on my shelves or Kindle fit each property’s task when I land on it.
Everyone starts at Go, naturally. Go is a free read, meaning I could read any book I wanted. After scanning my shelves, I decided to read the latest (though hopefully not the last) Daisy Dalrymple mystery. It had been a while since I caught up with Daisy, but time did not seem to matter a bit. Daisy is still as fun as ever, and as good a friend as she always was. And Alec and the gang at the Yard are just as exasperated with her adventures as ever.
This was a fun adventure and introduced group of people, that while I had known, never really considered needing a group name. The title refers to the women who outnumbered men in England following the ravages of the first World War and the 1918 Influenza epidemic. There were truly not enough men for every woman to marry, and the unmarried women were collectively referred to as “Superfluous Women” or “Surplus Women” as though they were factory over-runs. It was a an issue, because despite these women’s best efforts, they did not fit in the societal norms at the time.
The Superfluous Women (though I hate calling the group that, as it seems belittling and derogatory) of the title were a group of three women who moved into a house together after circumstances made it necessary for them to begin again in a new town. The small town they moved to, like many towns, did not know quite what to make of them, or what to do with them, but by the end of the book, things were definitely looking a bit better for the women.
Because it was a murder mystery, there had to be a murder, and as usual, Daisy was mixed up in it from finding the body to the end of the investigation. The body had been found in the women’s newly purchased house, and while the police didn’t actually suspect them, both they and their personal stories are important parts of the investigation.
The mystery itself was interesting, and I had suspicions about the murderer, but it was fun to read the book and see how all the pieces and red herrings fit together in the investigations — both official and Daisy’s. Most of the regular characters were present, and even though Tom Tring had retired from the force, he was present and involved in the investigation. It would not have been the same without Tom involved. I hope he will be involved in future Daisy adventures as well.
I hope there will be more Daisy adventures. I enjoy Daisy and her friends and the mysteries are light fun reads, just the way to kick off a year’s reading well.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Fortifying Tea and some very nice biscuits
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
One Bear's Reading -- 2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge
This reading challenge looked too interesting and too much fun to pass up, so I am going to try it out this year. I'm a bit worried about reading to a challenge, but I still think it's a good idea. I'm going to read books I already own, so I won't really be reading anything I wouldn't have anyway, but not every challenge has to take you outside your comfort zone.
The challenge was originally intended only for historical mysteries, but because this is a personal challenge, and I don't always want to read a mystery, I am changing the rules and modifying the tasks a bit to allow for books from any genre, though to be truthful, many will end up being mysteries because that's mainly what I read. Also, I decided to allow for a re-roll if I land on a property I already "own."
*** Note: I've used the property names from the (original) US version of the game, because it's the version I grew up playing and the version I know best. The tasks are based on both the US and UK property names.
2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge
Rules:
1. Roll one die and move around the board according to the number rolled.
3. Follow the instructions for each property as outlined below.
4. You must finish your chosen book before rolling again; no rolling ahead.
5. Re-rolls are allowed if you land on a square you already own.
6. The goal is the move around the board and collect ALL of the properties.
Properties:
Go: Start, read any book of your choice. Superfluous Women -- Dunn, Carola (1/5/17)
Mediterranean Avenue: Read a book set in a Mediterranean country or a book with a brown cover
Community Chest #1: Read a book from any series begun before 1950.
Baltic Avenue: Read a book set in a Baltic country or a book in which a crime occurs at some point during the book.
Income Tax: Read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the lowest Goodreads rating. Pretty Lady -- Babson, Marian (1/10/17)
Reading Railroad: Read a book set in the 19th century (1800-1899).
Oriental Avenue: Read a book set in the Orient or a book with a blue cover.
Chance #1: Read a book recommended by a friend.
Vermont Avenue: Read a book set in a New England State or a cozy mystery. Clammed Up -- Ross, Barbara (1/14/17)
Connecticut: Read a book with a bridge on the cover or set in a a city with a famous prison.
Just Visiting: Roll the die again, move forward and complete the task for that property.
St. Charles Place: Read a book that contains paranormal elements or whose title has a word with double letters.
Electric Company: Read a book set in 17th century (1600-1699).
States Avenue: Read a book that is set during or in the immediate aftermath of a war in which either the United States or United Kingdom participated.
Virginia Avenue: Read a book set during the Elizabethan period or the Roman Empire.
Pennsylvania Railroad: Read a book set in a place you’d like to visit. Fer-de-Lance -- Stout, Rex (1/20/17)
St. James Place: Read a book with a character who is a member of a royal family from any country or a private investigator.
Community Chest #2: Read a book from any Fiction series.
Tennessee Avenue: Read a book set in the Southern Hemisphere or with a white cover.
New York Avenue: Read a book set in a large city or with a protagonist who is a police detective.
Free Parking: Read any book of your choice.
Kentucky Avenue: Read a book set in the Victorian era or a book with a red cover. Murder at the Breakers -- Maxwell, Alyssa (1/25/17)
Chance #2: Read a book by a new-to-you author.
Indiana Avenue: Read a book set in a rural area or in which the protagonist or narrator is a member of the clergy, a writer or a journalist.
Illinois Avenue: Read a book set in the Northern Hemisphere or with a statue, monument or building on the cover.
B&O Railroad: Read a book where the protagonist sets out on a journey at some point during the book. The Silver Locomotive Mystery -- Marston, Edward (2/4/17)
Atlantic Avenue: Read a book set in a country on the Atlantic Ocean or with a yellow cover.
Ventnor Avenue: Read a book set in Medieval times or a book that contains at least one real historical figure as a character.
Water Works: Read a book with a body of water on the cover.
Marvin Gardens: Read a book featuring a woman as the main character or with a flower, tree or garden on the cover.
Go to Jail: Roll the die again, move backward and complete the task for that property.
Pacific Avenue: Read a book set in a country on the Pacific Ocean or set during the Regency period.
North Carolina Avenue: Read a book set at a university or any place of higher learning or a book with a green cover.
Community Chest #3: Read a book from any Historical Mystery series.
Pennsylvania Avenue: Read a thriller/suspense book or a book with a purple cover. Thunder on the Right -- Stewart, Mary (2/19/17)
Short Line Railroad: Read a book of 150 to 250 pages in length.
Chance #3: Read a book from any Bestseller List.
Park Place: Read a book in which the protagonist is very wealthy and/or titled or set in a city with a famous park.
Luxury Tax: Read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the highest Goodreads rating.
Boardwalk: Read a book set in a seaside town or a world capital city.
The challenge was originally intended only for historical mysteries, but because this is a personal challenge, and I don't always want to read a mystery, I am changing the rules and modifying the tasks a bit to allow for books from any genre, though to be truthful, many will end up being mysteries because that's mainly what I read. Also, I decided to allow for a re-roll if I land on a property I already "own."
*** Note: I've used the property names from the (original) US version of the game, because it's the version I grew up playing and the version I know best. The tasks are based on both the US and UK property names.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge
Rules:
1. Roll one die and move around the board according to the number rolled.
3. Follow the instructions for each property as outlined below.
4. You must finish your chosen book before rolling again; no rolling ahead.
5. Re-rolls are allowed if you land on a square you already own.
6. The goal is the move around the board and collect ALL of the properties.
Properties:
Mediterranean Avenue: Read a book set in a Mediterranean country or a book with a brown cover
Community Chest #1: Read a book from any series begun before 1950.
Baltic Avenue: Read a book set in a Baltic country or a book in which a crime occurs at some point during the book.
I
Reading Railroad: Read a book set in the 19th century (1800-1899).
Oriental Avenue: Read a book set in the Orient or a book with a blue cover.
Chance #1: Read a book recommended by a friend.
Connecticut: Read a book with a bridge on the cover or set in a a city with a famous prison.
Just Visiting: Roll the die again, move forward and complete the task for that property.
St. Charles Place: Read a book that contains paranormal elements or whose title has a word with double letters.
Electric Company: Read a book set in 17th century (1600-1699).
States Avenue: Read a book that is set during or in the immediate aftermath of a war in which either the United States or United Kingdom participated.
Virginia Avenue: Read a book set during the Elizabethan period or the Roman Empire.
St. James Place: Read a book with a character who is a member of a royal family from any country or a private investigator.
Community Chest #2: Read a book from any Fiction series.
Tennessee Avenue: Read a book set in the Southern Hemisphere or with a white cover.
New York Avenue: Read a book set in a large city or with a protagonist who is a police detective.
Free Parking: Read any book of your choice.
Chance #2: Read a book by a new-to-you author.
Indiana Avenue: Read a book set in a rural area or in which the protagonist or narrator is a member of the clergy, a writer or a journalist.
Illinois Avenue: Read a book set in the Northern Hemisphere or with a statue, monument or building on the cover.
Atlantic Avenue: Read a book set in a country on the Atlantic Ocean or with a yellow cover.
Ventnor Avenue: Read a book set in Medieval times or a book that contains at least one real historical figure as a character.
Water Works: Read a book with a body of water on the cover.
Marvin Gardens: Read a book featuring a woman as the main character or with a flower, tree or garden on the cover.
Go to Jail: Roll the die again, move backward and complete the task for that property.
Pacific Avenue: Read a book set in a country on the Pacific Ocean or set during the Regency period.
North Carolina Avenue: Read a book set at a university or any place of higher learning or a book with a green cover.
Community Chest #3: Read a book from any Historical Mystery series.
Short Line Railroad: Read a book of 150 to 250 pages in length.
Chance #3: Read a book from any Bestseller List.
Park Place: Read a book in which the protagonist is very wealthy and/or titled or set in a city with a famous park.
Luxury Tax: Read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the highest Goodreads rating.
Boardwalk: Read a book set in a seaside town or a world capital city.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Series Review
The Spice Shop Mysteries by Leslie Budewitz
Assault and Pepper
Guilty as Cinnamon
Killing Thyme
I won Guilty as Cinnamon, the second book in the Spice Shop mystery series, in the Save Our Cozies Read-a-Thon in July. Due to the expense of international postage, the author agreed to send the book to my housemate's parents' house, with the understanding that we would pick it up when we visited in October. During the Read-a-Thon, several books by featured authors were on sale for the Kindle, and I got the first book in the series then, but held off reading it until I could get the second, and the third, in the series while in the US. I planned to read all the books I brought with me on the trip and leave them in the US with friends and family, and then start the Spice Shop series on the return journey. I began Assault and Pepper in the airport in Dallas, the first leg of the journey, intending to finish it before I landed in Melbourne. I was good about reading in the airports in Dallas San Francisco, but then I boarded the trans-Pacific flight and all I wanted to do was sleep. I slept through most the 14 hour flight, and then almost all of the rest of the day once I finally landed. It was several days later when I picked up Assault and Pepper again. But then I made it through the book, and the next two in the series fairly quickly. They were definitely worth the time, too. I am glad I waited until I was fully awake to read them. I made some new friends along the way, and I discovered some new places to visit the next time I’m in the US. I will make it to the Pike Place Market in Seattle one day!
Assault and Pepper
This is the first book in the series, and it sets up the series well, with good introductions to the main characters and a number of the recurring supporting characters. The scene is set well and the spice shop is inviting and welcoming, just the kind of place you wish were real so you could visit. I found the mystery interesting and intriguing. It kept me guessing until the end, though I’m not sure how much of that was the fact that I was reading it on my Kindle. I do tend to flip to the end of the book when I’ve read about halfway. I don’t want to get involved with characters I have come to like and think of as friends, only to be blindsided if they turn out to be the killer in the end of the book, so halfway through I’ll flip to the end of the book and see if they are all still there on the last page. But reading books on the Kindle makes it a bit harder to flip to the end and scan the last page easily. It’s one of my big problems with the Kindle. I’m always glad when I don’t read the end of the book first, so I like reading the mysteries on the Kindle. When I have a paper copy, the temptation is too great and I do flip through to the end despite the fact that a little bit of the fun of reading through to the end is destroyed by doing so.
If I’m being totally honest, I did find Assault and Pepper was a bit hard to get into. It was easy to put the book down to check flight status, my Twitter/Facebook feed, or play a game on my phone. It could be that I was in an airport and there were plenty of distractions around, so my attention was not 100% focused on the book, but I did find it harder to get into than other new-to-me series. Being so easy to put down and pick up again the book, it was a good book to read when I was in airports and recovering from jet lag.
Guilty as Cinnamon
This was the book that sent me in search of the series. It was a fun book to read. The method of murder was unique, and not likely to be duplicated, which is always good in something as formulaic as murder mysteries. It was nice to get to know my new book-friends a bit better, and I did like how Pepper spent a bit more time in the shop and doing shop-based things than in the first book. That’s one of my biggest peeves in mysteries where the amateur sleuth has a real job. In many instances, the sleuth spends so much time investigating and chasing, or being chased by, the murderer that they never have any time left for their real jobs. In Guilty as Cinnamon, Pepper does actually do some work in the Spice Shop. I appreciated that. I hope it continues through the series.
Reading the book now in my personal timeline was good as well. My housemate had some Grapefruit & Campari sorbet while we were in the US and wanted to recreate that combination over the coming summer here in Australia. She had purchased a a bottle of Campari and was looking for something other than grapefruit sorbet to do with the the aperitif. My housemate is not a big drinker, but she loves to cook. She tells everyone she is far more likely to cook for bake with alcohol than drink it — making everything from pasta with vodka sauce to moscato cupcakes. The recipes for Negroni and Negroni Sbagliato in the book were perfect and have already been used.
I really enjoyed Guilty as Cinnamon, and felt like the series and characters are gelling a bit more, or maybe the flavors are blending a bit better in the second book. I am very happy I did enjoy this book; I would have felt awful if after I won it, and the author was so nice to me, not only by sending the book and patience in waiting for me to get it and read it, but also in sending other goodies with the book.
Killing Thyme
First off, let me say I am bit over using thyme as a homophone in book titles. It seems forced and predictable — it is pretty much guaranteed that if thyme is in the title, it is either going to be a flashback book or something from the past is going to be vitally important to the present plot. I fully expected that going in, and as it turns out, I was not wrong. The past returning was mentioned in the blurb, so it wasn’t that much of a guess, though I did buy and read the book without reading the blurb first.
(As it turns out, not only should I have read the blurb, but I should have flicked through the book rather than just picking it up in the bookstore. My copy was missing pages 21-52, so I had to buy a second copy for my Kindle to be able to finish the book while the rest of the series was still fresh in my mind.)
Of the three books in the Spice Shop series, this was the weakest in my opinion. It seemed to be a more of a transition for the continuing story of the regular and recurring characters, moving them in role, scope, and/or place. I suppose every series needs that to continue, but it seems early in this series to have or need that kind of character refocus. And I thought the mystery was a bit lame, in that it featured similar plot devices to both Assault and Pepper and Guilty as Cinnamon.
One of the things I dislike about mystery series books is the tendency to bring in characters merely for the purposes of making them either the victims or the killers. This book was a bit different in that it brought in a number of new characters, some that were neither victim nor killer. I hope those characters stay around, rather than being just single episode guest stars. It’s probably hard to write books with a large ensemble cast, just as it's hard for television shows to include the entire ensemble cast equally in every episode. There is no need to include every character in every book, just bring them back here and there because readers got to know them and like them, and they want to see more. It seems like there is never enough time for all our friends in our lives, and that transfers to all the friends we meet in books, but I hope the author makes time for the new friends in other books.
Overall the series is quite fun. The Spice Shop seems to be a fantastic place, the kind of place you would go for something specific, just to browse what’s new and different, or to rediscover the old and familiar. The characters are fun, and they quickly become friends. I would love to have dinner with them, and while I would prefer to share a few episodes of Jeopardy rather than a favorite movie, I think we could work something out were I invited for the Tuesday get-togethers.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of Spice Shop Signature Tea, with a huge plate of sweet frosted spice cookies
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Assault and Pepper
Guilty as Cinnamon
Killing Thyme
I won Guilty as Cinnamon, the second book in the Spice Shop mystery series, in the Save Our Cozies Read-a-Thon in July. Due to the expense of international postage, the author agreed to send the book to my housemate's parents' house, with the understanding that we would pick it up when we visited in October. During the Read-a-Thon, several books by featured authors were on sale for the Kindle, and I got the first book in the series then, but held off reading it until I could get the second, and the third, in the series while in the US. I planned to read all the books I brought with me on the trip and leave them in the US with friends and family, and then start the Spice Shop series on the return journey. I began Assault and Pepper in the airport in Dallas, the first leg of the journey, intending to finish it before I landed in Melbourne. I was good about reading in the airports in Dallas San Francisco, but then I boarded the trans-Pacific flight and all I wanted to do was sleep. I slept through most the 14 hour flight, and then almost all of the rest of the day once I finally landed. It was several days later when I picked up Assault and Pepper again. But then I made it through the book, and the next two in the series fairly quickly. They were definitely worth the time, too. I am glad I waited until I was fully awake to read them. I made some new friends along the way, and I discovered some new places to visit the next time I’m in the US. I will make it to the Pike Place Market in Seattle one day!
Assault and Pepper
This is the first book in the series, and it sets up the series well, with good introductions to the main characters and a number of the recurring supporting characters. The scene is set well and the spice shop is inviting and welcoming, just the kind of place you wish were real so you could visit. I found the mystery interesting and intriguing. It kept me guessing until the end, though I’m not sure how much of that was the fact that I was reading it on my Kindle. I do tend to flip to the end of the book when I’ve read about halfway. I don’t want to get involved with characters I have come to like and think of as friends, only to be blindsided if they turn out to be the killer in the end of the book, so halfway through I’ll flip to the end of the book and see if they are all still there on the last page. But reading books on the Kindle makes it a bit harder to flip to the end and scan the last page easily. It’s one of my big problems with the Kindle. I’m always glad when I don’t read the end of the book first, so I like reading the mysteries on the Kindle. When I have a paper copy, the temptation is too great and I do flip through to the end despite the fact that a little bit of the fun of reading through to the end is destroyed by doing so.
If I’m being totally honest, I did find Assault and Pepper was a bit hard to get into. It was easy to put the book down to check flight status, my Twitter/Facebook feed, or play a game on my phone. It could be that I was in an airport and there were plenty of distractions around, so my attention was not 100% focused on the book, but I did find it harder to get into than other new-to-me series. Being so easy to put down and pick up again the book, it was a good book to read when I was in airports and recovering from jet lag.
Guilty as Cinnamon
This was the book that sent me in search of the series. It was a fun book to read. The method of murder was unique, and not likely to be duplicated, which is always good in something as formulaic as murder mysteries. It was nice to get to know my new book-friends a bit better, and I did like how Pepper spent a bit more time in the shop and doing shop-based things than in the first book. That’s one of my biggest peeves in mysteries where the amateur sleuth has a real job. In many instances, the sleuth spends so much time investigating and chasing, or being chased by, the murderer that they never have any time left for their real jobs. In Guilty as Cinnamon, Pepper does actually do some work in the Spice Shop. I appreciated that. I hope it continues through the series.
Reading the book now in my personal timeline was good as well. My housemate had some Grapefruit & Campari sorbet while we were in the US and wanted to recreate that combination over the coming summer here in Australia. She had purchased a a bottle of Campari and was looking for something other than grapefruit sorbet to do with the the aperitif. My housemate is not a big drinker, but she loves to cook. She tells everyone she is far more likely to cook for bake with alcohol than drink it — making everything from pasta with vodka sauce to moscato cupcakes. The recipes for Negroni and Negroni Sbagliato in the book were perfect and have already been used.
I really enjoyed Guilty as Cinnamon, and felt like the series and characters are gelling a bit more, or maybe the flavors are blending a bit better in the second book. I am very happy I did enjoy this book; I would have felt awful if after I won it, and the author was so nice to me, not only by sending the book and patience in waiting for me to get it and read it, but also in sending other goodies with the book.
Killing Thyme
First off, let me say I am bit over using thyme as a homophone in book titles. It seems forced and predictable — it is pretty much guaranteed that if thyme is in the title, it is either going to be a flashback book or something from the past is going to be vitally important to the present plot. I fully expected that going in, and as it turns out, I was not wrong. The past returning was mentioned in the blurb, so it wasn’t that much of a guess, though I did buy and read the book without reading the blurb first.
(As it turns out, not only should I have read the blurb, but I should have flicked through the book rather than just picking it up in the bookstore. My copy was missing pages 21-52, so I had to buy a second copy for my Kindle to be able to finish the book while the rest of the series was still fresh in my mind.)
Of the three books in the Spice Shop series, this was the weakest in my opinion. It seemed to be a more of a transition for the continuing story of the regular and recurring characters, moving them in role, scope, and/or place. I suppose every series needs that to continue, but it seems early in this series to have or need that kind of character refocus. And I thought the mystery was a bit lame, in that it featured similar plot devices to both Assault and Pepper and Guilty as Cinnamon.
One of the things I dislike about mystery series books is the tendency to bring in characters merely for the purposes of making them either the victims or the killers. This book was a bit different in that it brought in a number of new characters, some that were neither victim nor killer. I hope those characters stay around, rather than being just single episode guest stars. It’s probably hard to write books with a large ensemble cast, just as it's hard for television shows to include the entire ensemble cast equally in every episode. There is no need to include every character in every book, just bring them back here and there because readers got to know them and like them, and they want to see more. It seems like there is never enough time for all our friends in our lives, and that transfers to all the friends we meet in books, but I hope the author makes time for the new friends in other books.
Overall the series is quite fun. The Spice Shop seems to be a fantastic place, the kind of place you would go for something specific, just to browse what’s new and different, or to rediscover the old and familiar. The characters are fun, and they quickly become friends. I would love to have dinner with them, and while I would prefer to share a few episodes of Jeopardy rather than a favorite movie, I think we could work something out were I invited for the Tuesday get-togethers.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of Spice Shop Signature Tea, with a huge plate of sweet frosted spice cookies
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Thursday, December 8, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
This book was incredibly interesting. Both my fellow bear, Spencer, and I got caught up in the story. And then we got angry because the story was not fiction, it was history! It all really happened!
Destiny of the Republic is subtitled “A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of the a President.” It’s an interesting look at the assassination of President James A. Garfield. I knew very little about President Garfield before I read the book. Of course, I knew he was the 20th President of the United States, and I knew he was assassinated, but beyond that I knew very little, not even remembering that he was president for short 7½ months from March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881. History in schools have a finite amount of time to impart the important events on eager (or not so eager) young minds, so the details of less important events are often glossed over. Garfield’s presidency was important, but not so important that it would have any more than a passing mention. Yes, he was president; yes, he was assassinated; very good, moving on — was what I learned about him and his administration in my history classes.
But the truth of Garfield’s story is so much more interesting. And so interconnected with other people and other events. I’m not saying that we need to devote a whole class period to Garfield in schools, but we need to devote a bit more time and leak a few more truths to spark the imagination, and anger, of students. History only comes alive when we make it, where we change it from boring lists of dates to memorize or facts to be committed to permanent memory. History is so much more than that dry litany. It’s exciting, unbelievable, and amazing. There are connections between events and people that are never tied together for students. We need to rethink the way we, as a nation, teach history. It is important to understand, not merely know, the events so we can learn from them, and prevent the same mistakes being made again and again.
Okay, I’ll step off my soap-box and get back to the book.
The author’s premise is that had Garfield’s doctor listened to experts, the President may have been able to be saved. This is not a unique theory, many others have held it, even others treating President Garfield at the time. But the connections made by the author were interesting, even if they were not unique. Lines are drawn connecting Joseph Lister, Alexander Graham Bell, and James A. Garfield. These were connections that could have been made in any History class. But they are not. No hint of these awesome connections is even given in history classes, not even enough to spark students to investigate on their own.
A further point of the book is that Garfield’s assassin was crazy. This is not unique to this study of the events either. Charles Guiteau honestly believed that God had told him to “remove the President.” He interpreted that message to mean that he should kill the president, at which time his dream of being given a consular position would be reached, because then President Chester A. Arthur would be so thankful that he would want to reward the person who enabled his ascension to the presidency. Guiteau was deluded in more ways than one with that thinking. He was not qualified to be consul; he was barely qualified to be anything. Further, his delusions were not limited to desire for government positions. Prior to shooting President Garfield, Guiteau actually wrote a letter to General William T. Sherman asking the general to storm the jail in which he would be held. Charles Guiteau honestly and truly believed that the country, and the world, would applaud his actions.
The story of the assassin was only part of the book though. Most of the book is devoted to the medical (mis)treatment that more than likely caused the President’s death, rather than preventing it. The leading US medical community at the time felt that Joseph Lister’s theories of antisepsis were wrong, and that there was no reason to worry about invisible infectious agents. Dr. Bliss, who was the self-appointed physician in charge of the President's care, in particular thought that what we now know as signs of infection and/or sepsis were actually signs of healing. He saw nothing wrong with quarts of pus and fluid flowing out of the President's wounds daily. He saw the increasing numbers of pus-filled blisters all over the President's body quite a good sign of healing. And he thought nothing of continually probing the President’s wounds with instruments that had not been sterilized or unwashed fingers in a effort to find the bullet. In fact, the bullet had come to rest behind the President’s pancreas and had already begun the natural process of encysting. In today’s world, it would be quite likely that Garfield would have survived his wounds and lived a long, productive life. Actually, if Garfield had been one of the soldiers he commanded on the Civil War battlefields, he would have more than likely survived. It is amazing that the soldiers who were shot survived because they did not receive medical treatment, while President Garfield died because he did!
The last part of the story brought in Alexander Graham Bell as a central character. Bell developed a metal detector that he believed would find the bullet and save President Garfield’s life. Bell believed that his invention was a failure because he failed to find the bullet. But Bell’s invention worked; it was just the self-important, pig-headed Dr. Bliss that stopped the bullet from being found. Dr. Bliss refused to allow a complete examination of President Garfield with the metal detector, instead allowing Bell to search only in the are where Dr. Bliss believed the bullet had come to rest. Following the perceived failure, Bell tested the invention on other patients with bullets in various parts of their bodies. It worked. The bullets were found an successfully removed. Bell's invention was a success. Nothing, short of forcibly removing Dr. Bliss from the case, could have saved the president.
While the President could not be saved, there were other things that came from his assassination -- good and much needed things. The White House received a much needed renovation and remodeling. The “Spoils System” that the assassin believed would reward him was scrapped by President Arthur in favor of the merit-based Civil Service system the US still uses today. And in one of the most interesting things, the first, very crude air conditioner was installed in the White House.
I highly recommend this book. It’s not a new theory, or even a unique one. But it does make the history come alive in ways that textbooks do not. And it tells a story that is often relegated to one or two paragraphs in classes. President Garfield was so such more than the source for the name of a cartoon cat!
One Bear’s Opinion: Five glasses of brandy, because, trust me, you’ll need them!
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This book was incredibly interesting. Both my fellow bear, Spencer, and I got caught up in the story. And then we got angry because the story was not fiction, it was history! It all really happened!
Destiny of the Republic is subtitled “A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of the a President.” It’s an interesting look at the assassination of President James A. Garfield. I knew very little about President Garfield before I read the book. Of course, I knew he was the 20th President of the United States, and I knew he was assassinated, but beyond that I knew very little, not even remembering that he was president for short 7½ months from March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881. History in schools have a finite amount of time to impart the important events on eager (or not so eager) young minds, so the details of less important events are often glossed over. Garfield’s presidency was important, but not so important that it would have any more than a passing mention. Yes, he was president; yes, he was assassinated; very good, moving on — was what I learned about him and his administration in my history classes.
But the truth of Garfield’s story is so much more interesting. And so interconnected with other people and other events. I’m not saying that we need to devote a whole class period to Garfield in schools, but we need to devote a bit more time and leak a few more truths to spark the imagination, and anger, of students. History only comes alive when we make it, where we change it from boring lists of dates to memorize or facts to be committed to permanent memory. History is so much more than that dry litany. It’s exciting, unbelievable, and amazing. There are connections between events and people that are never tied together for students. We need to rethink the way we, as a nation, teach history. It is important to understand, not merely know, the events so we can learn from them, and prevent the same mistakes being made again and again.
Okay, I’ll step off my soap-box and get back to the book.
The author’s premise is that had Garfield’s doctor listened to experts, the President may have been able to be saved. This is not a unique theory, many others have held it, even others treating President Garfield at the time. But the connections made by the author were interesting, even if they were not unique. Lines are drawn connecting Joseph Lister, Alexander Graham Bell, and James A. Garfield. These were connections that could have been made in any History class. But they are not. No hint of these awesome connections is even given in history classes, not even enough to spark students to investigate on their own.
A further point of the book is that Garfield’s assassin was crazy. This is not unique to this study of the events either. Charles Guiteau honestly believed that God had told him to “remove the President.” He interpreted that message to mean that he should kill the president, at which time his dream of being given a consular position would be reached, because then President Chester A. Arthur would be so thankful that he would want to reward the person who enabled his ascension to the presidency. Guiteau was deluded in more ways than one with that thinking. He was not qualified to be consul; he was barely qualified to be anything. Further, his delusions were not limited to desire for government positions. Prior to shooting President Garfield, Guiteau actually wrote a letter to General William T. Sherman asking the general to storm the jail in which he would be held. Charles Guiteau honestly and truly believed that the country, and the world, would applaud his actions.
The story of the assassin was only part of the book though. Most of the book is devoted to the medical (mis)treatment that more than likely caused the President’s death, rather than preventing it. The leading US medical community at the time felt that Joseph Lister’s theories of antisepsis were wrong, and that there was no reason to worry about invisible infectious agents. Dr. Bliss, who was the self-appointed physician in charge of the President's care, in particular thought that what we now know as signs of infection and/or sepsis were actually signs of healing. He saw nothing wrong with quarts of pus and fluid flowing out of the President's wounds daily. He saw the increasing numbers of pus-filled blisters all over the President's body quite a good sign of healing. And he thought nothing of continually probing the President’s wounds with instruments that had not been sterilized or unwashed fingers in a effort to find the bullet. In fact, the bullet had come to rest behind the President’s pancreas and had already begun the natural process of encysting. In today’s world, it would be quite likely that Garfield would have survived his wounds and lived a long, productive life. Actually, if Garfield had been one of the soldiers he commanded on the Civil War battlefields, he would have more than likely survived. It is amazing that the soldiers who were shot survived because they did not receive medical treatment, while President Garfield died because he did!
The last part of the story brought in Alexander Graham Bell as a central character. Bell developed a metal detector that he believed would find the bullet and save President Garfield’s life. Bell believed that his invention was a failure because he failed to find the bullet. But Bell’s invention worked; it was just the self-important, pig-headed Dr. Bliss that stopped the bullet from being found. Dr. Bliss refused to allow a complete examination of President Garfield with the metal detector, instead allowing Bell to search only in the are where Dr. Bliss believed the bullet had come to rest. Following the perceived failure, Bell tested the invention on other patients with bullets in various parts of their bodies. It worked. The bullets were found an successfully removed. Bell's invention was a success. Nothing, short of forcibly removing Dr. Bliss from the case, could have saved the president.
While the President could not be saved, there were other things that came from his assassination -- good and much needed things. The White House received a much needed renovation and remodeling. The “Spoils System” that the assassin believed would reward him was scrapped by President Arthur in favor of the merit-based Civil Service system the US still uses today. And in one of the most interesting things, the first, very crude air conditioner was installed in the White House.
I highly recommend this book. It’s not a new theory, or even a unique one. But it does make the history come alive in ways that textbooks do not. And it tells a story that is often relegated to one or two paragraphs in classes. President Garfield was so such more than the source for the name of a cartoon cat!
One Bear’s Opinion: Five glasses of brandy, because, trust me, you’ll need them!
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
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