Wow, I had an entire blog written about butter and using it in baking. When and why and why not and what the experts say. As much as I love butter (and given a chance I would put it on bacon and do put it on about anything including toast with schoko-moo) I decided that it was probably even more lame than any of the other blogs, many of which are lame.
So, I decided to go back to writing about books and murder. I am going through a time where I am trying desperately not to buy digital books at jacked-up prices. For those who haven't heard my rant, check out earlier blog entries. So, because of this I have begun to read a large number of "classic" novels that are available on Amazon for free or .99 cents.
I recently finished one of these classic thrillers, Murder at Bridge by Anne Austin. Murder at Bridge was "Set up and electrotyped" in 1931. And brilliantly so. It's been a long time since I've received such pleasure from a novel. Not a lot of suspense as we expect from a modern novel, but truly an enjoyable read. So much so I might try to find her other novel (only one?) It reads like film noir. The dialogue is a bit campy or kitschy but must have been very edgy for its time. The characters behave in manners that would be considered dysfunction and bizarre in the extreme today.
It's great to have a chance to return to world where a nice young woman can be [SPOILER ALERT ] can just feel better about life after her father, who abandoned wife and family leaving little to live on so that he could run off with an actress, returns and agrees to take her mother back...very generous. And of course, mom is grateful. Yet, in the context of the time it contributed to a very happy ending.
I wasn't going to write about Murder at Bridge; as I noted before I was going to write about butter. Then I began to read, Blind Spot by Nancy Bush. Now, this is not a bad book. Well, maybe it is. Maybe you'll hear about how trite and insanely stupid the beginning is in my next blog....OK it is kind of but I'm trying to move through it. But by realizing that I'm working hard to get through what must be Act One of this stupidly crappy novel, I also realized what under-valued books there are available by authors who are little known and deserve some recognition for their work. It's a product of its time.
No, Murder at Bridge is not a world/life changing novel. No one will be redeemed by reading it. Not one child will be saved and not one life turned from bad to good. It will not fight poverty, pestilence, or even cancer. What it did do was give me some honest moments of pleasure. Thank you Anne Austin.
Showing posts with label murder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label murder. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Book & Baking Blog Entry 26
Crush: The Final Moments
I have to say that I wrote my last blog believing that Jacobson's Crush really had no further hilarity to be shared. I wrote the blog without the true badness that the ending brought to me. How bad? Bad bad.
I don't think that there can be a spoiler. We have some real fun as the book winds down. A character introduced about 1/2 to 2/3 through the book ends up being our killer. Of course he was hitting on (successfully) our local hottie cop. What's amazing is that the FBI agent had the entire department chasing a number of others, jumping from one theory to the next with wild abandon. Two of these suspects were police themselves. She totally ignores the one cop who is acting suspiciously which is telegraphed in a heavy handed way. Can I say again that I hope that the FBI are not quite so arrogant or ineffective as Agent Vail. And how embarrassing for the FBI mentioned in the acknowledgements. Really, did you LIKE the character? Seriously?
So, Vail gets a number of people killed, only finds the killer because he tries to kill the cop that he's hitting on when she gets the call with his name given to her by a microsoft tech! (Thumbs up to Microsoft--the true hero of this tale.) Vail follows up her fiasco of a manhunt with an embarrassingly amateurish interview. Was it supposed to seem like she even knew what she was doing? AND since when do you really just send one very tired cop in to question such an important suspect. It's also funny that Napa Valley still has no idea that there was a serial killer in their midst.
So, to end this the suspect just tells our "heroine" that she just doesn't get and probably never will and he knows that this will make her crazy (which she acknowledges to herself is the truth--why not just walk away from this nut-job?), her boyfriend has disappeared, and our actual suspicious cop has been somehow secretly working with the killer because his wife and son were threatened. THE END.
So, no ACTUAL payoff at all. Except hours wasted. I wish I read faster.
I have to say that I wrote my last blog believing that Jacobson's Crush really had no further hilarity to be shared. I wrote the blog without the true badness that the ending brought to me. How bad? Bad bad.
I don't think that there can be a spoiler. We have some real fun as the book winds down. A character introduced about 1/2 to 2/3 through the book ends up being our killer. Of course he was hitting on (successfully) our local hottie cop. What's amazing is that the FBI agent had the entire department chasing a number of others, jumping from one theory to the next with wild abandon. Two of these suspects were police themselves. She totally ignores the one cop who is acting suspiciously which is telegraphed in a heavy handed way. Can I say again that I hope that the FBI are not quite so arrogant or ineffective as Agent Vail. And how embarrassing for the FBI mentioned in the acknowledgements. Really, did you LIKE the character? Seriously?
So, Vail gets a number of people killed, only finds the killer because he tries to kill the cop that he's hitting on when she gets the call with his name given to her by a microsoft tech! (Thumbs up to Microsoft--the true hero of this tale.) Vail follows up her fiasco of a manhunt with an embarrassingly amateurish interview. Was it supposed to seem like she even knew what she was doing? AND since when do you really just send one very tired cop in to question such an important suspect. It's also funny that Napa Valley still has no idea that there was a serial killer in their midst.
So, to end this the suspect just tells our "heroine" that she just doesn't get and probably never will and he knows that this will make her crazy (which she acknowledges to herself is the truth--why not just walk away from this nut-job?), her boyfriend has disappeared, and our actual suspicious cop has been somehow secretly working with the killer because his wife and son were threatened. THE END.
So, no ACTUAL payoff at all. Except hours wasted. I wish I read faster.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Book & Baking Blog Entry 20
BIG SPOILER ALERT on GHOST SHADOW.
Well, you never know what you're going to like and what you're not going to like. That's abundantly clear when sifting through the books on my iPod and kindle. The beauty of the kindle, as noted again and again, is that Amazon does offer books for free. You can try authors, usually not good, for free and then they hope that you'll purchase more.
Audible is a great service. I've had it for at least 5 years and I love it. I love having audio books when driving, riding my bike, and doing housework (really if anything can make housework better...) My difficulty is that, since I have a subscription I will purchase books that I may or may not like. Sometimes it's a little like roulette (Russian style.) Sometimes it's the narrator--authors, by the way, should NEVER narrate their own books. Sometimes it's the story. And sometimes it's both.
I've learned to listen to samples so that I don't get the narrator from hell any longer. The stories are a bit more difficult to predict. I j ust finished Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham. Now Graham is known for trite romances, at lea st that's how I know her. She has had a few (and far between) mysteries. And so I spent my monthly credit on Ghost Shadow.
Ghost Shadow was not the worst book that I ever read/listened to. There are books that I have just given up on. This had a basic plot where the heroine is gorgeous, brilliant, and incredible business woman, and the friendliest little chikadee in Key West. She sees ghosts. She never mentions this to anyone because her brother warned her, when she was 6, that people would think that she was crazy. We hear this story at least 3 times in the course of the story. So, of course, she never mentioned it again and just went on with her life. OK. It sounds a little incredible to me. If she can see ghosts can't someone else? Anyone else? PUHLEEZE.
The killer killed 10 years prior to our current story and completely and ineffectually tried to frame the trampy dead girl's ex-fiancee. Well, now, the ex-fiancee has returned and he and our heroine fall in love (lust, have sex--but we're supposed to believe love.) So the killer decides he has to kill the heroine. But first, a couple of practices this time.
Oh, and the MacGuffin is that, initially our heroine, our karaoke business woman, wants to purchase the hero's family's museum where the ex-fiance had been posed after her murder.
The entire plot is so contrived that the mystery is why bother with the faux attempt at original prose.
REALLY SUPER SPOILER ALERT
Why did they start with a focus on reopening the museum?
Why really did the killer kill the extra people?
Frankly, why would a killer really try to murdera bunch of people to frame a guy just because the guy's great great great great great grandfather made certain that the killer's great great great great grandfather was hanged for a crime that he committed? Seriously, this was our denoument!
THIS was why this guy randomly decides to kill. And why choose that ONE guy out of all the huge number of family that our hero purportedly has. Why not kill our hero directly.
And you'd think that the chief of police could provide a better frame.
Oh yeah.
Despite the flaws, I listened to the entire book. And as I've said before, it's probably better than anything that I could write.
Happy Reading!
Well, you never know what you're going to like and what you're not going to like. That's abundantly clear when sifting through the books on my iPod and kindle. The beauty of the kindle, as noted again and again, is that Amazon does offer books for free. You can try authors, usually not good, for free and then they hope that you'll purchase more.
Audible is a great service. I've had it for at least 5 years and I love it. I love having audio books when driving, riding my bike, and doing housework (really if anything can make housework better...) My difficulty is that, since I have a subscription I will purchase books that I may or may not like. Sometimes it's a little like roulette (Russian style.) Sometimes it's the narrator--authors, by the way, should NEVER narrate their own books. Sometimes it's the story. And sometimes it's both.
I've learned to listen to samples so that I don't get the narrator from hell any longer. The stories are a bit more difficult to predict. I j ust finished Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham. Now Graham is known for trite romances, at lea st that's how I know her. She has had a few (and far between) mysteries. And so I spent my monthly credit on Ghost Shadow.
Ghost Shadow was not the worst book that I ever read/listened to. There are books that I have just given up on. This had a basic plot where the heroine is gorgeous, brilliant, and incredible business woman, and the friendliest little chikadee in Key West. She sees ghosts. She never mentions this to anyone because her brother warned her, when she was 6, that people would think that she was crazy. We hear this story at least 3 times in the course of the story. So, of course, she never mentioned it again and just went on with her life. OK. It sounds a little incredible to me. If she can see ghosts can't someone else? Anyone else? PUHLEEZE.
The killer killed 10 years prior to our current story and completely and ineffectually tried to frame the trampy dead girl's ex-fiancee. Well, now, the ex-fiancee has returned and he and our heroine fall in love (lust, have sex--but we're supposed to believe love.) So the killer decides he has to kill the heroine. But first, a couple of practices this time.
Oh, and the MacGuffin is that, initially our heroine, our karaoke business woman, wants to purchase the hero's family's museum where the ex-fiance had been posed after her murder.
The entire plot is so contrived that the mystery is why bother with the faux attempt at original prose.
REALLY SUPER SPOILER ALERT
Why did they start with a focus on reopening the museum?
Why really did the killer kill the extra people?
Frankly, why would a killer really try to murdera bunch of people to frame a guy just because the guy's great great great great great grandfather made certain that the killer's great great great great grandfather was hanged for a crime that he committed? Seriously, this was our denoument!
THIS was why this guy randomly decides to kill. And why choose that ONE guy out of all the huge number of family that our hero purportedly has. Why not kill our hero directly.
And you'd think that the chief of police could provide a better frame.
Oh yeah.
Despite the flaws, I listened to the entire book. And as I've said before, it's probably better than anything that I could write.
Happy Reading!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Book & Baking Blog Entry 15
The beauty of travel....and murder.
So we're in Denmark staying with family. Late nights and eating and drinking stuff that I normally wouldn't. For me, this is no more harmful than a carafe of coffee at 4pm. Unfortunately, for a woman who doesn't usually drink more than one cup of tea per morning, this was slightly detrimental to my sleep. Or maybe I just wasn't sleepy. I didn't feel jittery. I just was enthused by my novel.
I was, I thought, about 2/3 of the way through Jane Haddam's Wanting Sheila Dead. It's a Gregor Demarkian novel for those who know and love our old, cuddly, Armenian detective with the hot, younger, wife. Well. I had to finish it. I know that when I bought it I blogged about how I HATE the publishers who set exorbitantly high prices on ebooks. I think that they are sharks. However, I couldn't resist Haddam. I only wish she got a higher percentage from the sale of the ebook. That would make it worth it to me.
Wow! What a read. Haddam never fails to entertain and in a big way. She doens't generally give away the killer, although if you think about it, it always makes sense.
SPOILER ALERT (maybe, I'll try not to, but no promises.)
Wanting Sheila Dead has 2 mysteries involved. One brought to Gregor by 'the very old ladies' and the other by a shrewish reality tv star host (or rather, her PA.) Gregor realizes that there are similarities in the cases and works them Miss Marple-like to a fun conclusion.
I did get a little irritated at the drawn out ending without explanation. There are some key pieces of information missing to make this a true 'whodunit' for the reader. But, in the end it satisfies and makes sense. Haddam, rightly, doesn't get into big relationship crap with Gregor and Bennis.
So, happy reading. I highly recommend the new Haddam.
In the cakes department, wow! I had some excellent Kringle at Gammel Estrup. The coffee was mediocre but the cake was incredible. It was a wedge that had a huge warm dollop of filling that included cinnamon and almond paste. Yummy. And worth waiting to have it warmed up. I love this country!
So we're in Denmark staying with family. Late nights and eating and drinking stuff that I normally wouldn't. For me, this is no more harmful than a carafe of coffee at 4pm. Unfortunately, for a woman who doesn't usually drink more than one cup of tea per morning, this was slightly detrimental to my sleep. Or maybe I just wasn't sleepy. I didn't feel jittery. I just was enthused by my novel.
I was, I thought, about 2/3 of the way through Jane Haddam's Wanting Sheila Dead. It's a Gregor Demarkian novel for those who know and love our old, cuddly, Armenian detective with the hot, younger, wife. Well. I had to finish it. I know that when I bought it I blogged about how I HATE the publishers who set exorbitantly high prices on ebooks. I think that they are sharks. However, I couldn't resist Haddam. I only wish she got a higher percentage from the sale of the ebook. That would make it worth it to me.
Wow! What a read. Haddam never fails to entertain and in a big way. She doens't generally give away the killer, although if you think about it, it always makes sense.
SPOILER ALERT (maybe, I'll try not to, but no promises.)
Wanting Sheila Dead has 2 mysteries involved. One brought to Gregor by 'the very old ladies' and the other by a shrewish reality tv star host (or rather, her PA.) Gregor realizes that there are similarities in the cases and works them Miss Marple-like to a fun conclusion.
I did get a little irritated at the drawn out ending without explanation. There are some key pieces of information missing to make this a true 'whodunit' for the reader. But, in the end it satisfies and makes sense. Haddam, rightly, doesn't get into big relationship crap with Gregor and Bennis.
So, happy reading. I highly recommend the new Haddam.
In the cakes department, wow! I had some excellent Kringle at Gammel Estrup. The coffee was mediocre but the cake was incredible. It was a wedge that had a huge warm dollop of filling that included cinnamon and almond paste. Yummy. And worth waiting to have it warmed up. I love this country!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Book & Baking Blog Entry 11
Back to murder.
REMINDER: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS (especially since I'm discussing the first 6 of a series...)
First, have I mentioned my love of the audiobook? I am an audiobook fan from the time we called them "books on tape." I had my first in the early '90s. Yes. I'm old and I prefer books to music, scandalous. I used to spend a lot of time traveling for work. I love listening to a book and driving. Now that I have an iPod I use audible. I can't recommend it enough. You can buy books a la carte or you can buy a subscription. I have "read" 228 books via my iPods (I had to replace a broken one) since 2005. I am dedicated.
I've been reading a series of British murder mysteries by Deborah Crombie. I really like them. They are great if you don't want a lot of gore and enjoy a bit of personal story without it being all about the relationship. Duncan Kincaid and Jemma James are our hero/heroine cops. They begin as colleagues and end up as a couple. This is not a love/hate fight fight fight relationship. I like that it develops naturally with some angst over professional concerns but not too much. There is a nice blend of the actual murder plot with the relatioship. These are nice people, with normal relatioships, normal issues working together.
Another plus with this book is that there aren't sex scenes. At least none that come to mind, and I probably would remember. I don't care to listen to sex scenes. When actually reading I skip those pages. Yes. I do. And listening is even worse. It's a bit creepy and voyeuristic.
I've read:
Necessary as Blood
Kissed a Sad Goodbye
Dreaming of the Bones
A Finer End
Leave the Grave Green
Mourn Not Your Dead
For those who really like to read a series in order, I didn't. It didn't make a huge difference to me as any good writer can give you the information you need about the past relationship without spoiling earlier books.
My biggest criticism of Crombie is that the story does sometimes lag a bit. Not so much that I didn't read 6 of her novels, but this might be a better read in print for that reason.
Maybe next blog I'll discuss when I buy an audiobook vs a print (Kindle) edition. It's quite important. Also coming: my next cake!
Happy Murder & Good reading.
REMINDER: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS (especially since I'm discussing the first 6 of a series...)
First, have I mentioned my love of the audiobook? I am an audiobook fan from the time we called them "books on tape." I had my first in the early '90s. Yes. I'm old and I prefer books to music, scandalous. I used to spend a lot of time traveling for work. I love listening to a book and driving. Now that I have an iPod I use audible. I can't recommend it enough. You can buy books a la carte or you can buy a subscription. I have "read" 228 books via my iPods (I had to replace a broken one) since 2005. I am dedicated.
I've been reading a series of British murder mysteries by Deborah Crombie. I really like them. They are great if you don't want a lot of gore and enjoy a bit of personal story without it being all about the relationship. Duncan Kincaid and Jemma James are our hero/heroine cops. They begin as colleagues and end up as a couple. This is not a love/hate fight fight fight relationship. I like that it develops naturally with some angst over professional concerns but not too much. There is a nice blend of the actual murder plot with the relatioship. These are nice people, with normal relatioships, normal issues working together.
Another plus with this book is that there aren't sex scenes. At least none that come to mind, and I probably would remember. I don't care to listen to sex scenes. When actually reading I skip those pages. Yes. I do. And listening is even worse. It's a bit creepy and voyeuristic.
I've read:
Necessary as Blood
Kissed a Sad Goodbye
Dreaming of the Bones
A Finer End
Leave the Grave Green
Mourn Not Your Dead
For those who really like to read a series in order, I didn't. It didn't make a huge difference to me as any good writer can give you the information you need about the past relationship without spoiling earlier books.
My biggest criticism of Crombie is that the story does sometimes lag a bit. Not so much that I didn't read 6 of her novels, but this might be a better read in print for that reason.
Maybe next blog I'll discuss when I buy an audiobook vs a print (Kindle) edition. It's quite important. Also coming: my next cake!
Happy Murder & Good reading.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Book & Baking Blog Entry 2
Wow, I read a lot. I usually am reading a book on my Kindle as well as listening to one on my iPod. I also am reading to my toddler regularly.
Let’s talk about my reading style. I love my Kindle. It’s important that I be able to hold my book while riding an exercise bike. Stupid, maybe, but it works for me and I’ve managed to enter middle age with a certain amount of grace. And yes, I think of my reading style in physical terms.
Have I mentioned the murder? Yes. That’s what I read. Almost exclusively murder mysteries. I prefer them without sex, but try to find one that’s not going for the cross-over romance fan. In fairness, I LOVED romance novels as a teen/young adult. I am old now, understand how sex works, and am a bit perplexed at the need for romance novels to romanticize it...hmmmm. OK. I won’t be blogging about my own personal details and I won't be reliving sex scenes in books for you. Find your own.
If you love literature, I’m not the book reviewer for you. Stick to my baking comments. Have I mentioned how much I love a pastry while reading? YUM!
So. Now you’ve got the book introduction…
Let’s talk about my reading style. I love my Kindle. It’s important that I be able to hold my book while riding an exercise bike. Stupid, maybe, but it works for me and I’ve managed to enter middle age with a certain amount of grace. And yes, I think of my reading style in physical terms.
Have I mentioned the murder? Yes. That’s what I read. Almost exclusively murder mysteries. I prefer them without sex, but try to find one that’s not going for the cross-over romance fan. In fairness, I LOVED romance novels as a teen/young adult. I am old now, understand how sex works, and am a bit perplexed at the need for romance novels to romanticize it...hmmmm. OK. I won’t be blogging about my own personal details and I won't be reliving sex scenes in books for you. Find your own.
If you love literature, I’m not the book reviewer for you. Stick to my baking comments. Have I mentioned how much I love a pastry while reading? YUM!
So. Now you’ve got the book introduction…
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