A whole bunch more books -- and more to come
Don't expect lengthy reviews. I'm just trying to get everything in here before the end of the year.
#71
Rhapsody in Blood, by John Morgan Wilson
A Benjamin Justice mystery, involving murders during the filming of a movie about an old murder.
#72
A Hole in Juan, by Gillian Roberts
An Amanda Pepper mystery
#73
The Art of Detection, by Laurie R. King
A Kate Martinelli mystery. A rabid Sherlock Holmes fan and collector is murdered, and the reason may be a previously unpublished story. There are references that hark back to King's Mary Russell series, but you don't need to have read those to enjoy this.
#74
The Iron Girl, Ellen Hart
A Jane Lawless mystery. Those who have read this series are familiar with the references to Jane's late partner, Christine. While finally clearing out some of Christine's effects, Jane discovers a gun. At the time of her death, Christine, a realtor, was selling the home of a prominent local family, three of whose members were murdered the night before Christine died. This book shifts back and forth between past and present as Jane tries to find out what happened.
#75
The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, by Jonathan Harr
This was a disappointment. The hunt for a lost Caravaggio, the digging about in archives, the scientific test to see "is it really?", should be fascinating. But it's not. And I cannot stand non-fiction writers who think they have to make their books read like fiction. Where is the critical analysis? Where is the index? Where are the footnotes? Non-fiction needs references. You cannot expect me to believe what you are writing unless you tell me where you got the information. A bibliography and acknowledgements don't cut it.
I'm seeing this more and more in non-fiction and it drives me right up the wall.
And who the heck had the idea of publishing a book about a Caravaggio painting with NO, I repeat NO, illustrations?
#76
S is for Silence, Sue Grafton
A Kinsey Milhone mystery, involving a 30-year old disappearance.
#77
Possible Side Effects, by Augusten Burroughs
Good, not great.
#78
The Aspern Papers, by Henry James
Gorgeous, evocative story set in Venice, based on a real incident involving Lord Byron. Jeffrey Aspern's old lover lives in Venice, sitting on a treasure trove of letters and other papers written by the romantic poet. The narrator, a literary editor, has had his request to see them turned down, so he introduces himself under a pseudonym to Julianna and her niece, and becomes a lodger at their home. When she catches him hunting for the letters, Julianna collapses. But after her death, the niece offers the letters to the narrator -- if he will marry her.
#79
Courtroom 302: a Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse, by Steve Bogira
Bogira is a journalist who frequently writes about the court system for the Chicago Reader. He spent a year in one courtroom, and this book is the result. It's pretty good. He's got a keen eye for the absurd, though I think that sometimes he does not fully comprehend the competing interests that the players must contend with. The judge, Daniel Locallo, does not come off well at all, but, hey, why should he be any different from all the other "ex"-prosecutors at 26th Street?
#80
Espresso Tales, by Alexander McCall Smith
The sequel to 44 Scotland Street, which I l“. . . joy unshared was a halved emotion, just as sadness and loss, when borne alone, were often doubled.”
#81
The Right Attitude Toward Rain, by Alexander McCall Smith
The latest in his Sunday Philosophy Club series
#82
Scherzo, by Jim Williams
A fairly silly conspiratorial mystery set in Venice, involving Freemasons, a castrato, a Frenchman who may or may not be Voltaire, and Casanova.
More later.
#71
Rhapsody in Blood, by John Morgan Wilson
A Benjamin Justice mystery, involving murders during the filming of a movie about an old murder.
#72
A Hole in Juan, by Gillian Roberts
An Amanda Pepper mystery
#73
The Art of Detection, by Laurie R. King
A Kate Martinelli mystery. A rabid Sherlock Holmes fan and collector is murdered, and the reason may be a previously unpublished story. There are references that hark back to King's Mary Russell series, but you don't need to have read those to enjoy this.
#74
The Iron Girl, Ellen Hart
A Jane Lawless mystery. Those who have read this series are familiar with the references to Jane's late partner, Christine. While finally clearing out some of Christine's effects, Jane discovers a gun. At the time of her death, Christine, a realtor, was selling the home of a prominent local family, three of whose members were murdered the night before Christine died. This book shifts back and forth between past and present as Jane tries to find out what happened.
#75
The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, by Jonathan Harr
This was a disappointment. The hunt for a lost Caravaggio, the digging about in archives, the scientific test to see "is it really?", should be fascinating. But it's not. And I cannot stand non-fiction writers who think they have to make their books read like fiction. Where is the critical analysis? Where is the index? Where are the footnotes? Non-fiction needs references. You cannot expect me to believe what you are writing unless you tell me where you got the information. A bibliography and acknowledgements don't cut it.
I'm seeing this more and more in non-fiction and it drives me right up the wall.
And who the heck had the idea of publishing a book about a Caravaggio painting with NO, I repeat NO, illustrations?
#76
S is for Silence, Sue Grafton
A Kinsey Milhone mystery, involving a 30-year old disappearance.
#77
Possible Side Effects, by Augusten Burroughs
Good, not great.
#78
The Aspern Papers, by Henry James
Gorgeous, evocative story set in Venice, based on a real incident involving Lord Byron. Jeffrey Aspern's old lover lives in Venice, sitting on a treasure trove of letters and other papers written by the romantic poet. The narrator, a literary editor, has had his request to see them turned down, so he introduces himself under a pseudonym to Julianna and her niece, and becomes a lodger at their home. When she catches him hunting for the letters, Julianna collapses. But after her death, the niece offers the letters to the narrator -- if he will marry her.
#79
Courtroom 302: a Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse, by Steve Bogira
Bogira is a journalist who frequently writes about the court system for the Chicago Reader. He spent a year in one courtroom, and this book is the result. It's pretty good. He's got a keen eye for the absurd, though I think that sometimes he does not fully comprehend the competing interests that the players must contend with. The judge, Daniel Locallo, does not come off well at all, but, hey, why should he be any different from all the other "ex"-prosecutors at 26th Street?
#80
Espresso Tales, by Alexander McCall Smith
The sequel to 44 Scotland Street, which I l“. . . joy unshared was a halved emotion, just as sadness and loss, when borne alone, were often doubled.”
#81
The Right Attitude Toward Rain, by Alexander McCall Smith
The latest in his Sunday Philosophy Club series
#82
Scherzo, by Jim Williams
A fairly silly conspiratorial mystery set in Venice, involving Freemasons, a castrato, a Frenchman who may or may not be Voltaire, and Casanova.
More later.