Hello and welcome to issue #1451 of Edi's Weekend Wave.
Dear Readers,
I was too tired to write the post on Saturday. My wife and I spent most of the day in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies. It lasted longer than expected. Today is a really strange day. For whatever reason time is running a lot faster than normal. Maybe you know this. You just want to have a look at some websites and check some books. Then I looked on my watch - more than one hour passed!! Now I have to hurry up a bit.
ENJOY READING ....
Edi's Guidepost
The Lighthouse
News and information straight from the horse's mouth by Lighthouse keeper ediFanoB
Reading progress
Books I want to read until the end of 2014
Books
The latest report from our shelf shop net correspondent Bona
New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another
Blogosphere
Messages from the depths of the blogosphere by spheronaut Bona Fide
An infomercial, with apologies
The Lost World
Technical Dead-Ends
Movies
Remote control junkie Fide and his zapping highlights
Runaway
Quotes
The member of the house of quotes and a quote himself the Keeper of the minutes ( we call him Kotm) fished for you
German proverbs, sayings and idiomsQuote related to ends
The Lighthouse
I surprised myself. I finished three books!! That means the 70 books mark is in reach. I can't believe it.
I finished
- White Corridor (digital 2010) [Amazon Kindle ASIN: B003JTHFQG] by Christopher Fowler which is the fifth book in the Bryant and May Mystery
Bryant and May are such extraordinary characters. I like it that this time the other members of the Peculiar Crimes Unit play a more important role.
- Master & Commander (digital 2011) [Kindle ASIN: B00H5FJ0WM] by Patrick O'Brian.
Due to all the details I takes me much longer to read the book than expected.
- The Oliver Quintrell Trilogy (digital 2013) [Kindle ASIN: B00H5FJ0WM] by M. C. Muir (pen name of Margaret Muir).
I'm
No progress
- 31 pages in The Martian (digital, February 2014) [Kindle ASIN: B00FAXJHCY] by Andy Weir.
I was not aware that soil can be so interesting ....
- 172 pages in Malice (digital December 2012) [Kindle edition ASIN: B00AER8240] by John Gwynne.
- 230 pages in The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime (digital 2011) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B004FPYX72] by Judith Flanders.
- 176 pages in Memories of Ice (pb, 2006; first published in 2000) [ISBN-13: 978-0765348807] by Steven Erikson
- 241 pages in the Amelia Peabody's Murder Mystery Omnibus (digital, pb, 2012) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B007PRZJAW] by Elizabeth Peters.
- 172 pages in the Emperor of Thorns (pb, August 2013) [ISBN-13: 978-0007439058] by Mark Lawrence,
Books I want to read until the end of 2014:
- The Martian (digital, February 2014) [Kindle ASIN: B00FAXJHCY] by Andy Weir.
- The Lost World (digital) [Kindle ASIN: B004UJDLJE] by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Dragon (digital, October 2013) [Kindle ASIN: B00G7B9MHI].by James Austin McCormick
- Britannia's Reach (digital 2014) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B00I9I8DWC] by Antoine Vanner.
- Death by Disputation Anna Castle
I know that sounds ambitious. But that would mean to spend an average of three hours per day for reading. The good thing is that there is no pressure it is just pure fun and joy.
Enjoy your weekend ....
Books
Dear readers, I'm the one to tell you about books - only books? What about novellas and other stuff? My name is Bona. I scour shelves, shops and the net for books. If you call me a book whore I would not gainsay you. But be aware I have my own, sometimes elusive taste.
New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another
It seems the more stress I have the more I'm keen to get new books. To buy digital copies online is really dangerous. So far I have my budget under control. There are many offers. I'm not sure if they are all related to Christmas.
Digital copies of the following books found a new home on my reader. I present you the books in no specific order.
One should not forget the classics. A few days ago I discovered a new blog - read more about it in the blogosphere section of the post - which reminded me that I never read The Lost World (digital) [Kindle ASIN: B004UJDLJE] by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I went immediately to Amazon and downloaded the free digital copy.
"Professor Challenger--Doyle's most famous character after Sherlock Holmes--leads an expedition into the deepest jungles of South America. Together, the men--a young journalist, an adventurer and an aristocrat--along with their bearers and guides, search for a rumored country and encounter savagery, hardship and betrayal on the way. But things get worse as they get closer to the hidden world they seek. Trapped on an isolated plateau, menaced by hungry carnosaurs, it begins to look as though the expedition may never return." [Source]
This will be definitely one of the books I want to read until the end of 2014.
Do you know that you can watch the 1925 silent movie version for free?
Just follow THIS LINK.
Author James Austin McCormick has been so kind to send me a digital copy of his Dragon (digital, October 2013) [Kindle ASIN: B00G7B9MHI].
"Dragon is an epic, action packed tale of adventure set amongst the political backdrop of an uneasy intergalactic cease fire. As worlds conspire against each other, Gax, an insane warlord stockpiles an arsenal of ancient technology in his attempt to rule known space. Two ill matched and reluctant heroes stand in his way; Sillow, a neurotic and cowardly Sylvan and Brok, a surly and ill tempered Herkulun warrior. After a chance meeting in a seedy, mobster owned casino the two find their fates interlinked as they are propelled into a series of hair raising adventures that takes them from wanted smugglers to agents of a peace keeping alliance. As war grows close once again Sillow and Brok realize it is they alone who must stop Gax and prevent Armageddon, a very tall order indeed for two unlikely heroes." [Source]
There is something in the description which aroused my interest. This is one of the books I want to read until the end of 2014.
After reading Master & Commander (digital 2011) [Kindle ASIN: B00H5FJ0WM] by Patrick O'Brian, I decided to continue to gather the series with the purchase of The Mauritius Command (digital 2011) [Kindle ASIN: B006FH0A3Y] which is the fourth book in the famous Aubrey-Maturin series.
"Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. Now, for the first time, they are available in electronic book format, so a whole new generation of readers can be swept away on the adventure of a lifetime. This is the fourth book in the series.
Captain Jack Aubrey is ashore on half-pay without a command — until his friend, and occasional intelligence agent, Stephen Maturin, arrives with secret orders for Aubrey to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope, under a Commodore’s pennant. But the difficulties of carrying out his orders are compounded by two of his own captains — Lord Clonfert, a pleasure-seeking dilettante, and Captain Corbett, whose severity can push his crews to the verge of mutiny.
Based on the actual campaign of 1810 in the Indian Ocean, O’Brian’s attention to detail of eighteenth-century life ashore and at sea is meticulous. This tale is as beautifully written and as gripping as any in the series; it also stands on its own as a superlative work of fiction." [Source]
I'm a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.Recently I found a series new to me starring Dr. Watson. After reading the description I could not resist and bought a copy of Dead Man's Land (digital, January 2013) [Kindle ASIN: B007JKSHFO] by Robert Ryan. The book is fully authorised by the Conan Doyle Estate which does not happen that often.
"Deep in the trenches of Flanders Fields, men are dying in their thousands every day. So one more death shouldn't be a surprise. But then a body turns up with bizarre injuries, and Sherlock Holmes' former sidekick Dr John Watson - unable to fight for his country due to injury but able to serve it through his medical expertise - finds his suspicions raised. The face has a blue-ish tinge, the jaw is clamped shut in a terrible rictus and the eyes are almost popping out of his head, as if the man had seen unimaginable horror. Something is terribly wrong.
But this is just the beginning. Soon more bodies appear, and Watson must discover who is the killer in the trenches. Who can he trust? Who is the enemy? And can he find the perpetrator before he kills again?
Surrounded by unimaginable carnage, amidst a conflict that's ripping the world apart, Watson must for once step out of the shadows and into the limelight if he's to solve the mystery behind the inexplicable deaths." [Source]
I like the Victorian era and I like to read crime stories set in this era. Therefore it was just a question of time and money until The Inspector Robert Colbeck mystery series found the way to my reader. There is a collection of the first three books available and last week I found a good offer and bought a digital copy of The Railway Detective Collection: The Railway Detective, The Excursion Train, The Railway Viaduct (digital, December 2013 [Kindle ASIN: B00GW5GP9M] by Edward Marston.
"Collected together for the first time, the first three novels in Marston's Victorian mystery series1851. An audacious attack on the London to Birmingham mail train; an apparently motiveless murder on the Great Western Railway; and a body thrown from a speeding train on the Sankey Viaduct. The Railway Detective has his work cut out for him!
The Railway Detective
1851. The London to Birmingham mail train is stopped and derailed, injuring the driver badly. Inspector Colbeck is faced with the first crime of its kind, a daring and well-organised train robbery that rocks the railway company, the postal service, the Royal Mint and the bank to which the substantial amount of gold coin was being sent. With the Great Exhibition in the offing, interest is mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways but it seems that they have dangerous enemies.
Colbeck's investigation makes good progress but is thrown off course by the kidnap of Madeleine Andrews, the beautiful daughter of the injured train driver and a young woman for whom Colbeck has more than a passing affection. His commitment is intensified.
The Excursion Train
An excursion train carries rowdy passengers to an illegal prize fight in Berkshire. As the crowd surges from the train, a murder victim is left behind. Inspector Robert Colbeck discovers that the dead man was a cobbler, living under an assumed name because he worked part-time as a public executioner. His work on the scaffold has made him countless enemies but a recent bungled execution in Kent gives Colbeck the break that he needs.
Based in Ashford, a railway town, Colbeck and his assistant, Sergeant Victor Leeming, have to solve the crime for which an innocent man was wrongly executed before they can catch the hangman's killer.
The Railway Viaduct
The third outing for Inspector Robert Colbeck propels him into a complex case that takes him to France. A man is stabbed to death then hurled over the Sankey Viaduct from a moving train. When he discovers that the victim is a French engineer, Colbeck and his assistant, Sergeant Victor Leeming, travel to France where the British contractor, Thomas Brassey, is building a railway between Mantes and Caen.
The project is plagued by vandalism and the detectives have to solve the crimes on French soil before they can pick up the trail to the villains back in England who perpetrated them. When he involves his beloved, Madeleine Andrews, in the murder inquiry, Colbeck learns once again how valuable a contribution a woman can make. He is also given an insight into the wild humour, violence and squalor of the camp inhabited by Irish navvies." [Source]
How to bait readers for a new series? One opportunity is to offer one book for free. The following to books are part of a series. The first book was offered for free. I was hooked by the description that I instantly bought a copy of the second book. Hopefully I will not be disappointed.
I talk about the The Atomic Sea series by Jack Conner.
The Atomic Sea: Volume One (digital, 1st December 2014) [Kindle ASIN: B00QH3SE0C]
"From bestselling author Jack Conner comes "The Atomic Sea", an epic adventure on a strange world.
A thousand years ago, the sea began to change, and the change spread. Now the boiling, toxic, lightning-wreathed Atomic Sea has encompassed every ocean on the planet, and the creatures that live in it have become mutated and unnatural. Just as bad, the sea's taint can infect any human who comes in contact with it or unprocessed seafood, killing them . . . or altering them. No one knows why the sea has become this way or what it portends, only that it's irrevocably changed the world.
Meanwhile, world war has erupted, and the small country of Ghenisa, like many others, is tottering on the brink of collapse under the onslaught of the Empire of Octung. Dr. Francis Avery, a middle-aged widower, is aboard a military whaling ship far out on the Atomic Sea when a series of murders on board the ship propels him down the rabbit-hole of danger and terror unlike any other.
This is the opening volume of a multi-volume saga of adventure and high stakes in an awe-inspiring world unlike any you've ever seen before. Welcome to the world of the Atomic Sea." [Source]
The Atomic Sea: Volume Two (digital, 1st December 2014) [Kindle ASIN: B00QH49J64]
"Epic adventure in a strange world by bestselling author Jack Conner. A thousand years ago, the sea began to change, and the change spread. Now the boiling, toxic, lightning-wreathed Atomic Sea has encompassed every ocean on the planet, and the creatures that live in it have become mutated and unnatural. The sea's taint can infect any human who comes in contact with it or with unprocessed seafood, killing them . . . or altering them. No one knows why the sea has become this way or what it portends, only that it's irrevocably changed the world. Meanwhile, world war has erupted, and the small country of Ghenisa, like many others, is tottering on the brink of collapse under the onslaught of the Empire of Octung. Dr. Francis Avery, a middle-aged widower, is aboard a military whaling ship far out on the Atomic Sea when a series of murders onboard propels him down the rabbit-hole of danger and terror unlike any other. Soon he becomes aware of a spy on the ship, but that's just the beginning. With the help of the grizzled whaler Janx and a mysterious woman named Layanna, he will embark on an epic quest to save Ghenisa from Octung and unravel the secrets of the Atomic Sea. This is the opening volume of a multi-volume saga of adventure and high stakes in an awe-inspiring world unlike any you've ever seen before. Welcome to the world of the Atomic Sea." [Source]
No more today, see you next week ......
Blogosphere
Hey, I'm Bona Fide. I just came back from my last foray through the blogosphere. What can you expect from me? I tell you: Everything from Art to Fart as long as there is any faint connection to books. And here is some honey from the beehive blogosphere...
An infomercial, with apologies
I like it when authors are kind to their readers like friends of the blog and authors Rosalie Skinner and Alex J. Cavanaugh. Another author is Anna Castle.
I enjoyed her Murder by Misrule (digital 2014) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B00J9TABYS] which is the first book in the new Francis Bacon Murder Mystery Series.
The second book - Death by Disputation - was supposed to be available on 15th December 2014. Unfortunately the publishing will be delayed. In order to "sweeten" the waiting time Anna Castle wrote a kind post
An infomercial, with apologies
AND
you can get a digital copy of Murder by Misrule (digital 2014) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B00J9TABYS] for 2.99 USD or 1.97 GBP or 2,68 EUR.
"Francis Bacon is charged with investigating the murder of a fellow barrister at Gray's Inn. He recruits his unwanted protégé Thomas Clarady to do the tiresome legwork. The son of a privateer, Clarady will do anything to climb the Elizabethan social ladder. Bacon's powerful uncle Lord Burghley suspects Catholic conspirators of the crime, but other motives quickly emerge. Rival barristers contend for the murdered man's legal honors and wealthy clients. Highly-placed courtiers are implicated as the investigation reaches from Whitehall to the London streets. Bacon does the thinking; Clarady does the fencing. Everyone has something up his pinked and padded sleeve. Even the brilliant Francis Bacon is at a loss — and in danger — until he sees through the disguises of the season of Misrule." [Source]
The Lost World
As I wrote above, I bought a digital copy of The Lost World (digital) [Kindle ASIN: B004UJDLJE] by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The reason for that was the following first post on a new weblog which I follow:
Welcome to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World!
Technical Dead-Ends
On 24th November I talked about the book which has been released on 5th of December. Britannia's Wolf (digital 2014) [ Kindle Edition ASIN: B00Q9GQSQO] by Antoine Vanner is the third book in the naval fiction series Dawlish Chronicles.
"It’s 1881 and a daring act of piracy draws the ambitious British naval officer, Nicholas Dawlish, into a deadly maelstrom of intrigue and revolution. Drawn in too is his wife Florence, for whom the glimpse of a half-forgotten face evokes memories of earlier tragedy. For both a nightmare lies ahead, amid the wealth and squalor of America’s Gilded Age and on a fever-ridden island ruled by savage tyranny. Manipulated ruthlessly from London by the shadowy Admiral Topcliffe, Nicholas and Florence Dawlish must make some very strange alliances if they are to survive – and prevail."
So far I read the first book in the series. I hope to continue reading the second book soon.
Author Antoine Vanner delivers a lot of additional information to his books on his excellent blog Dawlish Chronicles. The following post contain a lot of information about guns which launch projectiles by using compressed air.
Dynamite Guns: Brilliant Technical Dead-Ends!
That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......
Movies
Hey, it's me Fide. I'm a remote control professional. I'm that fast that I can watch two movies at the same time.
I did not find a trailer which I would have liked to share with you. Instead I show you a piece of music which I like a lot. I was less than two years old when Del Shannon stormed the charts with
That's all for today. See you next time....
Quotes
I 'm the Keeper of the minutes. But I don't mind when you call me Kotm. No, no. I don't explain to you how to pronounce.
The following quote express how I felt after eight hours baking cakes ...............
"About the time we think we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends.”
Herbert Hoover, 31sst president of the USA, English author, 1874 - 1964
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