No sooner has autumn properly set in than the weather forecasting bods start talking about winter. Snow coming for us in the south and south west next weekend apparently. I tend to be of a, 'I'll believe it when I see it' frame of mind, if I'm honest. Living in the south west we don't get anywhere near the snow Scotland or the north of England get but we'll see. At least these days we get plenty of warning so can stock up on essentials because our drive turns into a ski slope when it snows and I'm past the age when whizzing down it on my rear end sounds like fun...
Anyway, books. I've finished three since my last post about WW2 crime fiction ten days ago.
Doorway to Dilemma: Bewildering Tales of Dark Fantasy, is a book of weird fiction short stories put out by the British Library and edited by Mike Ashley. Unusually for a collection by him I found this a bit average. I marked several as being good though: The Anticipator by Morley Roberts, a story about a writer of short stories who gets exciting ideas only to fine another author thinks of exactly the same idea just before he does and writes the story first to great acclaim. The Mysterious Card by Cleveland Moffat - a man gets given a strange card in some gardens in Paris. Thereafter he is completely shunned by by everyone he knows including his family. Why? I love this kind of supernatural mystery. The Thing in the Cellar by David H. Keller was about a young child not happy about the cellar and won't even be in the kitchen where the door to it is... very good indeed, probably the best story in the collection.
Next, Rotten to the Core by T.E. Kinsey. This is book eight in his Lady Hardcastle and Flo the Maid, books.
It's September 1911 and a heatwave has been ongoing for weeks. The apples are ready to harvest, Gloucestershire being a cider area, and The Weryers of the Pomary are doing their appley thing though no one quite knows what that is as it's all supposed to be a bit secret. It's not of course as the villagers know exactly which men are in it. When their members start to turn up dead it lands on Lady Hardcastle and Flo to help the police with their enquiries. I do enjoy the instalments of this series which are Littleton Cotterell (the village where the two women live) based, as we get to see and hear more of the locals who are a joy. But the real joy of these books is T.E. Kinsey's wonderful touch with the dialogue between Lady Hardcastle and Flo. It's very funny. And I love how nothing whatsoever phases these two, they think nothing of flying planes, driving racing cars, chasing after Russian spies. It's all completely bonkers but this is one of my favourite series at the moment.
And lastly, I've just finished A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly, book fifteen in the author's 'Charlie Parker' series.
Parker is called in by FBI agent, Edgar Ross, to help him find private investigator, Jaycob Eklund. Ekland has some paranormal investigations going on, which are clearly troubling Ross, but not all of which he divulges to Parker. But he's disappeared and Ross wants him found. Eventually Parker discovers that Ekland was obsessively investigating some strange murders and disappearances involving ghosts. The deeper Parker delves the more he discovers about a group of people called The Brethren, and the more strange and dangerous the case becomes. Well, of course it does, it wouldn't be a Charlie Parker book otherwise! We now know that there's something very different about his daughter, Sam, and that's fascinating as dribs and drabs are revealed. And there're some highly creepy villains (or not) in this instalment. Someone on Goodreads said they wanted John Connolly to write literary fiction because his writing is sublime. Well, yes it is, but I (and many thousands of others) thank our lucky stars that he loves writing weird, paranormal fiction with a mystery bent and would not want to lose him to literary fiction. He's brilliant quite honestly and I hope he has no plans to go anywhere!
I hope you're all keeping well and finding loads of great books to read this autumn which may soon be turning into winter...
20 comments:
I'm going to ignore your reference to impending snow forecasts for here in the south of the UK, as I am hoping that this may pass us by!! Frome does seem to be one of those places which has its own little micro climate sometimes, so that's my way of thinking today, as I can't even bear to think about the white stuff falling!! :)
Even though I have come round to considering short story collections over the past couple of years, I have so many full length novels and series I want to catch up with, that I am going to give this one a miss, although I am pleased you enjoyed it.
I really want to read both the Kinsey and Connolly series, however I shall probably start with book #1 from each and then maybe dip in and out, given that they both have so many episodes. I fact, before writing, I did check my shelves and have found the first book in the Charlie Parker series 'Every dead Thing', so I have scheduled that into my reading to get me started.
I have read a few good psychological thrillers recently and my current book 'The Night Of The Sleepover' by Kerry Wilkinson, is shaping up good so far, although I think I might have worked out what is going on - Maybe!!
Have a good week :)
Ooh...that John Connolly sounds really good! And we got snow over Thanksgiving...woke up Friday morning to see 4+ inches on the ground. And it's been cold enough that it hasn't all melted yet. Luckily, we have really good snow plows here, so the roads were fine. But I'm not ready for winter cold and snow yet. Brr...
If you do get snow, Cath, I hope it's not a heavy accumulation. It does seem that autumn fades to winter awfully quickly, doesn't it? About your books, you remind me that I really ought to read more Connolly. For me, anyway, he's one of those authors who fall through the proverbial cracks. Unfortunately, there's only so much time to read in any day. And I know what you mean about a series that's bonkers, but still so appealing you don't want to miss a book. Some authors just have that skill.
I miss the snow. It's just not the Holiday Season without it. First I am hearing of John Connolly. He sounds like a very talented writer and I enjoy paranormal mystery novels. Not sure if his series can be read out of order. It's often best to start at the beginning.
Yvonne: I wouldn't blame you for ignoring the the weather chaps' snow warning. I often feel when they forecast snow for down here they really mean Dartmoor or Exmoor, not the lower lying areas. We shall see.
The Kinsey series would be very easy to catch up on as the books are not long and an easy, fun read. Page-turners as they say, they're lovely if you've just finished an intense book and want a palate cleanser. I'm not really sure the Connolly series would be for you, but the only way to find out is to try that first book... which is not the best in my opinion but sets the scene.
I'm not much of a read of psychological thrillery type books but don't mind the ocassional one. Glad you're enjoying The Night of the Sleepover.
Have a good week and thanks for stopping by to comment. xx
Lark: The Connolly was superb. He's probably my favourite 'living' author and very funny and delightful in person, we went to see him speak four or five years ago. I know I mentioned him on Twitter one time, that he was my favourite author, and was shocked when he saw it and thanked me. A nice man.
Margot: We don't tend to get bad accumulations of snow here in the SW but it's not unknown. The winter of 2009/10 we had a foot or more lying for weeks and were almost cut off. I don't mind a bit of snow but that was a bit too much! Yes, one minute it's autumn and then you wake up one morning and winter's arrived.
This is the problem... there are only so many hours in the day for reading, a sad state of affairs but there you go. I think because I am a fan of the supernatural crime genre, Connolly was a natural go-to for me. My husband was the first person to suggest I might like his books and he was quite right. He's a cut above many others though because his writing is top-notch. Plus, you learn from his books because he brings in a bit of history of the areas he's writing about. I would have to name him as my favourite living author I think.
Kathy: I'm not sure where you are but I'm sorry it's snowless. We generally are too in the SW of England but every few years we get a surprise and wake up to a white world.
I think a lot of people, when you say John Connolly, think you've made a mistake and mean 'Michael' Connolly. John Connolly is Irish but writes an absolutely wonderful supernatural crime series set in Maine. He's a fantastic writer... in my opinion anyway... and his books have a depth to them that can take you by surprise. Subjects you might not think interesting, like 'logging in Maine', he makes fascinating. Yes, best to start at the beginning as there is a huge backstory going on which you're slowly drip-fed and it's quite an amazing journey.
Hadn't heard of any of these before.. thanks for sharing.
It is cold here as well. We don't usually get snow till the end of the year.. we got none last year. Let's see what happens this year.
I am far behind you in the Lady Hardcastle series. I have read three of them, and I have copies of books 4 - 7 to read. But there is a silver lining here; in checking that out I discovered that I have a Christmas novella in that series that falls between books three and four, so maybe I can read it in December.
I hope that if you get snow it isn't too much or cause you problems. I have not seen snow in forever, before I left Alabama. And it was very unusual in Alabama.
I don't know how it happened, Cath, but I haven't read a Charlie Parker book in a long, long time even though I thoroughly enjoyed the two that I read a few years ago. I need to try another to remind myself of the characters again so that I can get back to the series.
I am not sure why I haven't read any John Connolly - I am fairly sure I gave book 1 to my sister so usually I would read it first or borrow it back. I will have to ask her.
Our Mayor is having a big "prepare for winter" press conference today so I know it is coming, alas. My major extravagance (other than buying books) is paying someone to plow the driveway and shovel the sidewalk and front walk. It is the best feeling when I hear them at work, although sometimes I think they come when there is less than 3 inches and I could have done it myself.
Hena: You're very welcome. I checked your blog profile and I see you're in NJ. I was so surprised you got no snow last year as I thought NJ got very cold in the winter.
Tracy: Yes, there is a Lady Hardcastle Christmas novella... I don't have it but will probably grab it soon to read closer to Christmas.
I don't mind a bit of snow but only if it lasts a few days and then goes. Plus, it's inconvenient at the moment as we're still busy ferrying our daughter back and forth to hospital for check-ups after her spinal surgery.
Sam: I think you'll find Charlie Parker pretty easy to get back into. I remember not reading one for several years back in the day but the minute I picked up another book I was right back in that world. The other thing is, they get very interesting after the first two or three, worth looking at.
Constance: Well, there are 'so' many authors and reading everything you want to read is nearly impossible. I need to live another 300 years...
I don't blame you in the slightest for hiring someone to clear the snow. It's a miserable job and while I like a bit of snow, the inconvenience of it does put me off. It's nice if you can stay in and look out at it!
Cath, I have been meaning to try John Connolly's books for a really long time - on your recommendation. Going on my list to try in 2024. Not sure why I've never started one, but I really want to. And I don't want to talk about snow or ice or sleet or cold weather. Ha! The last few years we've had way too much of it. I'd just like a nice cool winter with not much wind. ;-)
I read the first book in the Kinsey series on your recommendation and really liked it. I need to keep going with the series. It's so enjoyable!
Kay: Good luck with Connolly's books if you try one. They're not for everyone but I think worth trying at least.
A nice cool winter with not much wind sounds about perfect to me. It needs to be cold enough to kill off the garden pests and that's fine.
Susan: The Kinsey books are well worth continuing on with as they just get better and better.
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