Monthly Archives: December 2017

This is a totally fabulous book – not for everyone,  I suppose,  but if you’re interested in the life and times,  the ideas (!),  of Michel de Montaigne,  the 16th century father of the essay,  it is pure-d terrific.  Bakewell … Continue reading →

Looking for something a bit different after reading The Seven Functions of Language,  I happened on an Audible 2-for-1 sale and got 4 books.   One of them was this book,  “Dead Mountain,” from the history section –  a true … Continue reading →

How to describe this book? –  Omg –  Well –  it’s a crime thriller of sorts with a lot of travel, a few chases and quite a lot of innovative sex plus a few bloody deaths.  But the characters and … Continue reading →

While looking around at Timothy Hallinan’s books  – due to Fields Where They Lay –   I see that one of my favorite authors has another Poke Rafferty book out (and it’s been as of November 7!)     Cool. … Continue reading →

I’d seen this book available for the last few years and it kind of looked interesting – I’ve enjoyed several of  Balducci’s other novels,  Besides,  it was on sale.  – Too bad – it’s about 1/2 stupid and 1/2 okay … Continue reading →

A passenger train becomes snowbound somewhere in England.  It’s loaded with passengers  on their way to Christmas or somewhere.   This is an old classic mystery tale in the tradition of Agatha Christie et al.   It was first published … Continue reading →

I’d never read anything by Anne Perry before this, and this may certainly not be my last by her.   The reason I chose it was simply because I was looking for Christmas mysteries and the summary and sample on … Continue reading →

Someone recommended this and I had it on my wish list so,  being tired of Christmas stories for now and having a few days between group reads,  I picked up on it.   It’s cute but it has some meaning. … Continue reading →

Professor Peter Shandy of Balaclava Agricultural College decorated his campus house in an outrageous manner for the annual Christmas Illumination fundraiser and then he left town.   Unfortunately,  he was forced to return early and thus discovered the dead body … Continue reading →

I read this last Christmas but this Christmas a year chose it to discuss and I started thinking about it and didn’t remember enough.   Why should I buy another seasonal book when I’ve got this one around?   So … Continue reading →

This book came up rather suddenly in a group which reads good stuff and recently published books are fine.   I’m a fan of John Bancroft (although not Benjamin Black so much) and Henry James as well.   What Bancroft … Continue reading →

The BookGroup List chose this one to discuss for the last half of December.  It looked interesting so I got it.  I’d never heard of Solstead but I familiar with Ibsen.  It’s a very short book.    I suppose “intense” … Continue reading →

A young American scientist thinks he has discovered a way to actually DO quantum computing which is hundreds of times faster than regular stuff.   Very handy to the spy-biz.    But he really doesn’t want to sell the idea … Continue reading →

I’d been eyeing this legal thriller and  so …  when it went on sale … even if I was in the middle of two very good books  …  How to Read the Bible by James L. Kugel and Shyness and … Continue reading →

Another sale book –  (I’ve got a few much better novels lined up but … ) This is interesting in some ways but the “thriller” aspect of it seems really tacked on.   It’s a straight legal fiction involving the … Continue reading →

On sale –  Mitzner has been okay in the past – not great crime or lit but it’s readable.   One thing is that on the surface,  this tale seems really similar to other recent crime novels I’ve read.   … Continue reading →

** Note:   This is number 7 in a series which is really best read in order! ** And it’s good stuff but not a who-done-it because we know who’s doing it – and we know who the victims are. … Continue reading →