Monthly Archives: February 2017

Settling in on a mixed-weather Sunday to a cozy-ish mystery without a lot of graphic blood and gore and certainly no chases.   I say cozy-ish because the lead detective is not an amateur and the books take place in a … Continue reading →

It’s been awhile since I read an Australian novel,  crime or not,  but this came to my attention via the 4-Mystery Addicts reading group and I followed through,  glad to say.  I think it’s probably written for Australian readers because there isn’t … Continue reading →

The annual Presidential Rankings were released a few days ago (on Feb 22, President’s Day) and I  was intrigued by the complexity of the project.  This is the 3rd year C-Span has hosted this and it’s a pretty stable indicator … Continue reading →

The title of this book is so apt and intriguing and the Gilded Age in New York  used to be one of my very favorite settings.   Add a little legal aspect to it and it’s just my cuppa.  The Gilded Age  was a … Continue reading →

Born in May 1819 and living until January 1901,  Victoria, the Queen of England lived a long time and that period would have been a fascinating study with almost anyone in Britain at the center.  The Queen of England was not … Continue reading →

“Clotel: or, The President’s Daughter”  is the first novel published by an African American – it was published in London in 1853 while William Wells Brown, the author,  was still living there following his final escape from slavery,  an education and the … Continue reading →

Sometimes a book comes along and I am just not in the mood for it or something.  This is one of those times.   IQ has had plenty of great reviews and it caught my eye several months ago and … Continue reading →

I read this back in 1971 or so and knew it was great literature then,  a time when I didn’t have a clue about what constituted  great literature.   But I guess I knew it when I read it because it’s stuck … Continue reading →

Oh dear another long one!   What is the matter with me?   But it’s a self-select and a legal thriller – my favorite –  so I tried to like it in general,  but … well … see below. At … Continue reading →

Oh my – Dickens at his best is so good and between this and A Tale of Two Cities he’s at his best.   I read this maybe 15 years ago and knew then I’d have to read it again … Continue reading →

I listened to this book a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to revisit – there is so much in it!    So I bought the Kindle version and read it while listening again.  Indeed – there is an enormous amount of … Continue reading →