Dear Readers,
the reason why I did not post on Saturday is a simple one. I needed some rest and time to find interesting stuff after my return from my business trip to England on Friday evening.
ENJOY READING ...
Edi's Guidepost
The Lighthouse
News and information straight from the horse's mouth by Lighthouse keeper ediFanoB
Reading progress
The book bag
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
Colour palette guide book
The longest SFF novels
Victorian tourists in Egypt
The first artificial ice rink
Movies
Remote control junkie Fide and his zapping highlights
Colossal
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 idioms quote related to immortality
The Lighthouse
Despite the fact I was on a business trip last week, I could finish three books and started two new ones. But I stopped one of them.
I did not finish
- Dr Potter's Medicine Show (digital, 7th February 2017) [KINDLE ASIN: B01N4WYJ1L] by Eric Scott Fischl.
I wrote on GOODREADS:
" will not rate this book because I did not finish it.
I must say I was really intrigued by the book descriptions and had expectations.
After reading 23% I gave up for three reasons:
- I found the story confusing
- I could not connect to one of the characters
- I could not cope with the writing style of the author
This happens. One can't love every book."
I finished
- The Merchant's House (digital, 20th January 2011) [KINDLE ASIN: B004JHY8J4] by Kate Ellis
I wrote on GOODREADS:
"This is an entertaining mix of historical mystery, modern mystery, and police procedural.
I like the fact that the detective is confronted with problems in his life outside of his job and that he has archaeological knowledge and interest.
Strong characters and well depicted locations support the story.
I look forward to read the next book in the series."
- Gideon Smith and the Mask of the Ripper (October 2015) [Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0765334268] by David Barnett
So far it shows less steampunk than then two previous books.
I wrote on GOODREADS:
"This is the third appearance of Gideon Smith and his companions and friends.
Compared to the previous two books there is less steampunk.
Nevertheless I liked the twists and turns combined with a lot of revelations - some really surprised me- from the acting characters. The book description give enough away about what to expect when it comes to the plot.
All in all I felt well entertained in the alternative Victorian London which has a lot in common with the original one when I comes to the living conditions in the East End."
- The Railway Detective in The Railway Detective Collection: The Railway Detective, The Excursion Train, The Railway Viaduct (digital, December 2013 [Kindle ASIN: B00GW5GP9M] by Edward Marston.
This omnibus contains the first three books starring Inspector Robert Colbeck. I finished the first book. For a reading challenge it is bad to read an omnibus. Therefore I added the three books of the omnibus as single books on GOODREADS.
"I read the book as a part of an omnibus.
I have a knack for mysteries set in Victorian England. Inspector Robert Coleback is different compared to other Inspectors, policemen, and detectives I met so far in other books.
Nevertheless I like him and I'm happy that I read the first book in the series. Even the reader knows the culprit quite early, I liked the description of police work. Despite that the story is full of information about the Victorian Era and especially the railway at that time.
You should stay away when you look for a fast paced Victorian mystery.
For me it was a good start to another series I will follow."
Current read
Yes, I'm reading real books.
I'm
- 52 pages in of Saturn Run (pb, this edition January 2017) [ISBN-13: 978-1101987520] by John Sandford.
No progress due to lack of time.
My reader shows different paging. therefore I change to percentage for digital books as it is possible to see on GOODREADS.
-25% done in The Merchant's House (digital, 20th January 2011) [KINDLE ASIN: B004JHY8J4] by Kate Ellis
- 16 % done in The Forgotten War (digital, 16th February 2014) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B00II69U22] by Howard Sargent.
No progress
The Book Bag
This is my reading project for 2017 which has been inspired by receiving of a digital copy of The Heart of What Was Lost: A Novel Of Osten Ard (digital, 3rd January 2017) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B01M9CJ425] by Tad Williams.
I'm really on a good way when it comes to my reading project for 2017. We are still in the second month of the year and I have already finished five of the 24 books. I know it will slow down when it comes to the "bricks" which are at the bottom of the bag.
Inspired by my business trip to England I decided that this will be the next book I want to read:
London: A Travel Guide Through Time ( hc, 18th June 2015)[ISBN-13: 978-0718179762] by Dr Matthew Green.
"Dr Matthew Green explores the sights and sounds of London through history. This is a fascinating and unique guide to the capital that takes the reader off the beaten track and into unexplored territory.
This book allows the reader to travel through time to six key periods in the history of London. From Shakespeare to the plague, medieval London to the swinging 60s, readers can totally immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of our capital at each particular moment.
It's vividly written, and after reading this book you'll never rush through the streets of Covent Garden or St Paul's again without pausing for at least a moment to think of all the mad characters and epic lives that ran through the same streets centuries before.
Whether you are a tourist looking for an alternative way to see the city, or a Londoner that wants to learn more about the world around you, this is a must-have guide." [Source]
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
In case you are an avid reader you will know how tempting it is when you see digital book offers for less than one Euro (1.06 USD, 0.85 GBP). Sometimes you get even digital omnibus for free.
Nevertheless the first book for today does not belong to the category described above.
I like it when you have the opportunity to read the first pages of a book. Sometimes I forget to do that. In case of the following book the very first four sentences convinced me to buy the digital copy:
"Roarty was making an omelette from the mushrooms Eamon Eales had collected in Davy Long's park that morning. They were good mushrooms, medium sized and delicately succulent, just right for a special omelette, an omelette surprise. He had chosen the best mushrooms for his own omelette; the one he was making for Eales was special because it contained not only the mushrooms from Davy Long's park but also a handful of obnoxious, black-gilled toadstools which he himself had picked on the dunghill behind the byre. He was hoping that four of them would be enough to poison his lecherous barman; he dare not put in any more in case he should should smell a rat."
Now I look forward to read the rest of Bogmail (digital, this edition 9th April 2013) [KINDLE ASIN: B01J1V6QFQ] by Patrick McGinley
"A truly funny and stunningly well-told tale of murder in a small Irish village near Donegal, Bogmail is a classic of modern Irish literature.
Set in a remote village in the west of Ireland, the action begins with a murder when Roarty, a publican and former priest, kills his bartender then buries his body in a bog. It's not long before Roarty starts getting blackmail letters, and matters quickly spiral out of his control. Twisty, turny and enlivened with colour that echoes the landscape and surroundings, Bogmail was Patrick McGinley's first novel, yet it remains just as fresh today as the day it first appeared.
Bogmail got the five-star treatment from Time magazine and The New York Times, and it was nominated for Best Novel in the 1981 Edgars. Reissued now in this completely revised edition by New Island Books, Bogmail is part of the prestigious Modern Irish Classics series." [Source]
The following crime fiction omnibus I got for free.
DI Spicer Box Set 1 (Books 1 - 3) (digital, 4th May 2016) [KINDLE ASIN: B01F7QMBS0] by Chris Simms
"Follow DI Spicer as he investigates three disturbing – yet very different - crimes:
The Chewing Gum Killer (Killing the Beasts)
Manchester, 2002. The Commonwealth Games are coming to town and the city is alive with possibilities. Caught up in the commercial feeding frenzy is Tom Benwell, account manager at an advertising firm. The pressure is getting to Tom - too many deals to make and lies to tell, and the passion for his job is waning. Meanwhile, his friend, DI Jon Spicer, is on the fast track, showing a commitment to the job that borders on obsession, or so his girlfriend Alice tells him. [Source]
A murderer using surgical skills to sinister effect (Shifting Skin)
'The Butcher of Belle Vue' has struck again. Like the first two victims, the third has been partially skinned and dumped on waste ground, her muscles, tendons and ligaments exposed to view. Only this time, her face has also been removed. Jon Spicer and his new partner, Rick Saville, are on the investigating team. The case is waiting for its first breakthrough when a woman approaches Jon insisting that she heard 'The Butcher' claiming his third victim in the next-door room of a run-down hotel in Belle Vue. But all she has to back up her story is a business card that she recovered from the empty room the following morning - it's from a local escort agency and the name 'Alexia' has been scrawled on the back. Jon's investigation takes him into the twilight world of Manchester's escort agencies and the unscrupulous cosmetic surgery industry, ultimately forcing him to confront the propensity for violence that is inherent within each of us - even within himself. [Source]
The terrifying Monster of the Moor (Savage Moon).
The body of a woman with her throat ripped out is found on Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester. She is discovered in an area where numerous sightings of a mysterious big black cat have been made. When analysis shows the hairs caught under her nails are those of a panther, it's assumed the animal has killed its first human victim. But then a man DI Jon Spicer is investigating as part of an entirely different case is murdered in exactly the same way. Only this time the body is found in a secluded car park - a popular gay rendezvous far closer to the city centre. Soon DI Spicer finds himself hunting a killer dubbed The Monster of the Moor, a creature whose stealth and savagery strike terror into the local population and way beyond it." [Source]
It seems a good time to to discover long running crime series (ten or more years) because you get the first book really cheep as the following two books show.
Extraordinary People (digital, this edition 30th May 2013) [KINDLE ASIN: B00CUE0CX4] by Peter May
"The Enzo Files: Book One
Ten years ago, Jacques Gaillard disappeared from Paris. No investigation has yet led to any clue as to whether he is missing - or murdered. Challenged to solve the mystery once and for all, Enzo Macleod must use new science to crack a cold case. Once a forensics expert in his native Scotland, he's been reduced to teaching biology in Toulouse. But this is a job he can't refuse. Gaillard tutored the most powerful men in France; he had old friends in high places
Finally he finds a trace of Gaillard; unfortunately, it's only his head. So when he discovers items imbedded within the skull, it gives Enzo the perfect chance to put his skills to use - and send him on a trail after the rest of the missing man. Unaware that he's also following in the footsteps of their murderer...
Please note this novel has previously been published in the US under the title DRY BONES, but this ebook edition retains the original title." [Source]
Dead Simple (digital, 4th September 2008) [KINDLE ASIN: B01F7QMBS0] by Peter James
"It was meant to be a harmless stag night prank. A few hours later four of his best friends are dead and Michael Harrison has disappeared. With only three days to the wedding, Detective Superintendent Grace - a man haunted by the shadow of his own missing wife - is contacted by Michael's beautiful, distraught fiancée, Ashley Harper. Grace discovers that the one man who ought to know Michael Harrison's whereabouts is saying nothing. But then he has a lot to gain - more than anyone realizes. For one man's disaster is another man's fortune . . . Dead simple . . ." [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...
Colour palette guide book
Didn't you think "what an uninspiring heading. Maybe it will get more interesting when I tell you that the guide book shown over at Web Urbanist is a hand-drawn one from the 17th century ....
Proto-Pantone: 800-Page Color Palette Guide Book Hand-Drawn in 1600s
The longest SFF novels
Do you love to read really long books? You want to know if you may have read one or more of the longest SFF novels then you should visit The Wertzone and have a look at
The Longest SFF Novels of All Time
Victorian tourists in Egypt
Nowadays it is strictly forbidden to climb Egypt's pyramids. Even it would be permitted today, nobody would climb pyramids wearing a three piece suit or long formal dresses. But Victorian tourists showed style and complied with the dress code of their era as shown over at vintage everyday
18 Astonishing Vintage Photographs Show Victorian Tourists Climbing Up the Pyramids in Fancy Dresses and Suits
The first artificial ice rink
The Victorian era has been an inventive time. Here is an other example. The Londonist delivers the details. Read the post
How London Was Home To The World's First Artificial Ice Rink
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.
A few hours ago I discovered the following trailer. I'm not sure if Colossal will be a film for me or not. I will decide when it will be hit the cinemas in Germany.
That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......
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.
It seems milk is one step ahead of mankind as following quote explains ......
"Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality."
Clifton Fadiman, American author, editor, and radio host, 1904 - 1999