Bookgirl's Nightstand | When I'm not reading books, I'm making them.

Adding to the Shelves

iliana Nightstand March 19, 2009

It’s almost the weekend – yay. Anyone have big plans? Like a bookstore outing, a library sale or anything like that?

No big plans at Casa Bookgirl aside from finding more space in the bookshelves for some of the books that have arrived over the last couple of weeks. Want to hear about them?

This One Is Mine by Maria Semple. I won this book thanks to a giveaway at Estella’s Revenge. I’ve seen a lot of people in the blogosphere mention this one so I think it’ll be a fun read.
The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks. Another book I won, this came via a giveaway Tara hosted. Her review made me want to read it so I’m a lucky girl to have this one.
Somebody Else’s Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage. This ARC promises to be a page-turner with some disturbing characters, dark secrets and suspense.
Behold, Here’s Poison and The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer. Sourcebooks has done it again and is reprinting more of Georgette Heyer’s books. I’m very excited to read her mysteries.
Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster. This is also another ARC about a young artist growing up in Brisbane, Australia during the 1950s.
The Bridge of the Golden Horn by Emine Sevgi Ozdamar. This coming of age tale is about a 16 year old Turkish girl who leaves her native Istanbul to sign on as a migrant worker in Germany.
The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig. The Slaves of Golconda will be discussing this book at the end of the month so I better get started!

Alright, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I plan to read a lot and hang out at the bookstore.

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10 Characters

iliana Nightstand March 18, 2009

As I was talking about mysteries recently, I couldn’t help but steal this question from Cathy over at Kittling Books:

Which crime fiction characters would you like to meet? Well, you know I follow quite a lot of mystery series so it’s actually a bit hard to narrow down to 10 characters but here it goes:

Maisie Dobbs. I love that she’s smart and independent, and I’d just love to ride around in her little car solving mysteries in postwar England.
Ursula Marlow. She reminds me a bit of Maisie actually but is very much her own character. She’s a business woman who doesn’t take kindly to the role Edwardian society expects her to play.
Commissario Guido Brunetti. The Venetian detective doesn’t let crime wear him down. He is thoughtful and I’m sure he’d take me around to the best restaurants in Venice.
Cyrus Barker & Thomas Llewelyn. The enquiry agent and his assistant are keeping Victorian England safe. After four books I’ve read, Barker is still a bit of a mystery so I’d like to ask him some questions.
Mma Ramotswe. I can imagine sitting down with the owner of the detective agency, sipping some red bush tea and chatting about her life.
Inspector Richard Jury. I think partly why I’d like to meet up with Jury is because I’d also be meeting all the great characters in the series, like Melrose Plant, Sergeant Wiggins and even the dreaded Lady Ardry.
Faye Quick. I’ve only read one of the books in her series but she’s a bookworm and she’s a lady with a lot of moxie. I can see us going to one of her favorite bookstores and sharing book recommendations.
Detective William Murdoch. Another Victorian setting but this time in Toronto. The serious detective is compassionate and intelligent.
Sarah Brandt. This amateur sleuth is a midwife in turn of the century New York. Aside from liking her, I would just love to meet her to tell her she needs to throw caution to the wind and get together with that detective she’s always working with. Ha.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. This inspector reminds me a bit of Brunetti. He’s kind, loves his family and seems like he’d be a great boss. Maybe I could become a sleuth for a day under his guidance.

I just realized that most of these are set in another century or outside of the States. Ah well, I do love to travel and I guess time-travel too. heh.

So, which crime fiction characters would you like to meet?

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Tonight was my mystery book group night but I didn’t finish the book (barely got past 40 pages) and I was kind of tired so I skipped out on the meeting. The group read Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh and although some of the reviews I’ve read about the book make it sound like it’s a great, fun read. I found it a bit tedious and not funny really. I’m hoping next month’s book, Little Tiny Teeth by Aaron Elkins will be more interesting.

However, I have read some very good mysteries so let me tell you about those. First, is Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin. Over the past couple of years I’ve been following the adventures of Inspector Rebus and I found this, the seventh in the series, to be another great entry.

The novel starts with a terrific fast-paced car chase scene which ends in a double suicide. As Inspector Rebus tries to find out about the young men who died, he realizes he’s up against a powerful business conglomerate and a lot of political mischief. That part sometimes made the reading drag a bit for me but what keeps me coming back to these is the inspector. He’s such a complex guy.

In this novel I also got the sense that Inspector Rebus may be headed for more trouble in the upcoming books. He’s drinking more and his relationships are a jumbled mess. I was a bit shocked at one thing Rebus does which has tragic consequences and he does offer apologies but I don’t think he realized just what a line he had crossed. I am sorry this is so vague but I don’t want to spoil anything.

Let it Bleed is also my first read in the What’s In A Name Challenge.

My other crime novel was Acqua Alta by Donna Leon, which is the fifth book in the Commissario Brunetti series.

As the flood waters rise in Venice, Commissario Brunetti is trying to find out who savagely beat his friend, Brett Lynch. The art historian, who first appeared in Death at la Fenice, has perhaps uncovered some art forgery that was taking place and so her beating was meant as a warning. The world of art is shown as one where money and power are more important than the art itself.

One thing I love about this series are the little scenes of domesticity between Brunetti, his wife and children. There can be corruption, death and assorted ugly things yet his family and his surroundings provide a calming grace and charm, and not just for Brunetti but for the reader as well.

I am already looking forward to the next book in this series.

You know what else I’ve been reading? The latest edition of Mystery Scene. I’ll tell you about the books I’ve added to my list soon.

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