I love the Deborah Crombie books. I am reading a second one now.
They have alot of feeling in them.. and are not so "tense" like some mystery thrillers out there
now. Thanks Tessa!

I read Alexander McCall Smith's Blue Shoes and Happiness. And it was good.
Not as good as the earliest ones, but good. It had a fraudulent doctor dispensing fraudulent drugs in it! A new one is coming in the Botswana series this April.
I also started the Sunday Philosophy Club series by McCall Smith. It is very slow moving, but I sort of enjoyed the ethics part of the book. This series gets sour reviews on Amazon, but in fact, it is a different type of book. It may not be for everyone.
It is just very hard for Alexander McCall Smith to follow Precious' adventures!

I also started Shadow of the Wind...Lara. It is a very nice style of writing.
Very initimate! I haven't gotten very far yet. And Robert Graves' daughter is the translator! The Robert Graves who wrote the I, Claudius books?
I loved those BTW.

We also checked out The Forest..but it looks like a long haul with that one!
I am going to have to renew it.

Mrs. D,

I had a feeling that you'd like them (Deborah Crombie) !!!! Are you reading them in order? I get kind of crazy about that and must read them in order!! I love Tony Hillerman, too! I haven't read Shapeshifter, yet....last one I read was Skeleton Man.

Funny....I just came from the library and picking up a book for my son. I had 2 minutes to browse and saw a new or semi-new PD James book-an Adam Dagliesh story- and couldn't resist! Grabbed it and it's a 2 week return! I want to also read more "Ladies Detective" books....how many are there? Also there was a book of poetry that I saw on a local show and need to track that down....not enough time to read them all! That's why I love my 2 weeks away in the summer...so much time to read!

I hope you enjoy them.

Take care,
Tessa

I had trouble finding them at my library...they are either checked out or
lost --some of them.

I found Mourn Not Your Dead, which is #4

And I am finishing up Dreaming of the Bones #5. This one was slow getting into but is becoming fabulous. I almost gave up on it...but then I realized "something" was coming concerning Vic so I stayed with it.

This series is nicely done... I appreciate the recommendation! I love a good
series! Esp in the boring cold weather!

It was odd -- Mourn Not Your Dead was an autographed copy as well. She has nice fluid handwriting..like you would expect!

I think the first 3 of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency were the best, as the
series evolves they become more wordy, longer paragraphs etc. That does not minimize their impact tho...since you get so attached to them! I have a list of them earlier in this thread.

Like TV lately some of the mystery thriller genre is becoming gross and horrific.
I am finding it harder to watch TV and read lately because of this violent trend.

A friend from PN recommended Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman to me. (there are 3 books in this series now). But I have to say even tho so well done,
the first one is so horrific, so real, that it is chilling to read. I had to put it down several times. But was drawn back each time.
http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/...n-jilliane.asp

Her professional experience plays heavily in the realism of the content...
If you ever wondered what a rape/murder is like, or the aftermath, steel yourself for this one. The intelligence of it however, saves the reader from the rest. (it is very graphic and frightening at times...not for the faint of heart). But it is an example of the voyeuristic fascination with violence this country is evolving! Pass the Alexander McCall Smith, this way , please!

I've not opened any of my books in far too long.

This was a good reminder for me. My brain has been mush of late, and when I'm feeling that way, I just can't concentrate. lol

It was a really good book! very well done, and interesting all the way thru.
Wonder writing, wit, feeling, etc. Very compelling, and a satisfying ending.

Thanks Lara... !

Next up is The Forest!

hiya mrsD

glad you are going to get into the Rutherford sagas.....they are deep and take a while to read, but I just love Rutherford's intricate style of weaving fiction and history together

The Forest, although a stand alone historical novel, was written after Sarum (his first novel) and altho it doesnt exactly "follow on" it is a continuation of a theme

Of all his books I think I loved Sarum best, possibly because that is a part of England I have always found fascinating and enjoyed visiting, plus the history of that period (the book covers 10000 years from stone age to contemporary)
Sarum was the ancient name for what is known today as Salisbury, ancient home of the druids, Stonehenge etc

His novel, London, was another I read with eagerness, as I have a very special affection for London and lived there many years. Learning about the origins and growth of that wonderful city was a treat.

Russka is fascinating too and taught me so much as my knowledge of Russian history was almost non-existant

and now I am relishing the Dublin Saga part 1: The Princes of Ireland and then will likely devour part2: The Rebels of Ireland

Of all reading, historical novels have always been #1 on my list

I'll have to get Sarum first. I love the period as well.

I've done some "dolman" drawings even! I love the Stonehenge shows on
Discovery etc too! I betcha, Chemar, that you like Loreena McKennitt's music? We have all of her albums.
Some of her new things I can picture her at the "stones"...

The druids and the nature themes, resonate with me too. I'll have to look online at our library to see if it is there.

If these are so complex....maybe I should buy the paperbacks and take on
vacation? I do alot of reading there! And with my rock gardens etc...it is a nice match.

We call these big books --Marjorie books--- since a cousin of ours (who is over 100 now) used to bring them up there and pass them around. Big Books!
Like The Autobiography of Henry VIII, etc. That one was really good BTW.

Shadow of the Wind was very satisfying. Simple and complex at the same time. Beneath the story line is complex morality/good vs evil/devotion/obsession etc. Some sentences in it are basically just poetic! It starts off with a little boy narrating and moves up around a "mystery" concerning a book and its author, and becomes very complex. So I am very glad Lara recommended it. I don't think I would have found it myself.

If you like Stonehenge, Chemar-- have you read Pillars of the Sky, by Cecelia Holland? (who is from my home state). I ran into a gal at a city park once, she saw me stealing empty birds' nests out of trees. (at one time I was doing large complex nest drawings--had them in a show and won a prize). I thought she was going to pull a scold on me, but instead we hit it off and she gave me the book suggestion! I've read it twice, over the years. Cecelia Holland does other historical fiction too.

I am looking at Sarum now on Amazon... looks like it should be first--I agree.
I love archeology.. If I had to do my life over, that is what I'd be..an
archeologist..I love finding out answers!

thanks for the info re Cecelia Holland, mrsD

definitely sounds like my cuppa tea

oh how I wish I had more time to just kick back and read!!

My son asked me the other day how we managed as kids without computers and all the other electronic gizmos they have today......and I just gave him a big

as a child I would spend hours reading and the local library was quite one of my most favorite hangouts

I just got a new MP3 player (for Valentine's day)...We found it at Costco
last week on a super sale.
It is a Sansa e280... state of the art..Windows compatible.

I put some of my favorites on it (it was pretty easy) and listened in bed
last night. What a sound! It is better with quality ear buds, which we already had.

I used to have vinyl records on turntable when I was in college in the 60's, and lie in bed listening. I had some vintage things by Johnny Mathis back in the late 50's and early 60's and listening to them last night and comparing the times and
my age etc... was pretty striking. I found all of my oldest favorites on Amazon remastered, and collected them on CD last winter(50yrs old). The sound is flawless!
http://sandisk.com/Products/Item(205...layer_8GB.aspx

Yep, kids today have no clue/idea how primative things were.
This Sansa is 8gig... our first computer was 1 gig harddrive a Pentium 100 Acer! Imagine walking around during the day with no cell phone! Completely on your own! That is becoming a thing of the past too. LOLOL... I often wonder how kids today will develop a real
independence since they seem glued to the phones. I've only had a cell for 3 yrs myself!

These MP3s (we had the Sansa c150 before)...are very handy tho for our traveling in the summer. Cuts way way down on stuff to shlep. This one the
e280 is SO SLICK... I mean really beautiful and nice to hold. Very pleasing aesthetically. At my age...I am really impressed. The young folks tho? They EXPECT nothing less. Where will they be in 50yrs? I wonder sometimes.

I love historical fiction and will have lots of choices to read now with these great recommendations!! I started reading Leon Uris in high school and got hooked on his books. The book Sarum sounds like a good place to start !

I'm off on a short vacation and have the newest PD James to read but will need to check my library for the other recommendations.

Happy reading!

Take care,
Tessa