Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

3. Betsy-Tacy - first in the Betsy-Tacy series
by Maud Hart Lovelace
juvenile fiction, 1940
finished, 1/10/10








This is my first book read for the You've Got Mail Reading Challenge.
One of the great joys of being a parent is sharing books from your childhood with your own child. For me, the books were Little Women, and the Betsy-Tacy series. And what a thrill it was when my Margaret loved them as much as I did. In fact, not too long ago she stopped by and I found her sitting down with one of the Betsy-Tacy books.

So, where to begin for those of you who haven't read these books. How do I encourage an adult to go out and buy or borrow Betsy-Tacy? After all, there are so many great books out there for adults. Why should you spend your precious reading time on a book for children published seventy years ago? Well, all I can say is that it is a very special book. It tells us what life was like at the turn of the century, when the 1800s were becoming the 1900s, when the author was herself a young girl. Betsy's experiences are those of Maud Hart Lovelace. She wrote:

Of course, I could make it all up, but in these Betsy-Tacy stories, I love to work from real incidents.

The book portrays a childhood friendship all children long for. And it is beautifully written. The descriptions of the people and places are so real that the reader feels like she has actually seen them.

These girls have a playhouse made from an old piano box. They have birthday parties, and go to school, and just play and play. They take walks and have picnics. They color easter eggs, and they color sand to sell in jars. From a chapter called, Supper on the Hill:

That summer they started having picnics. At first the picnics were not real picnics; not the kind you take out in a basket. Betsy's father, serving the plates at the head of the table, would fill Betsy's plate with scrambled eggs and bread and butter and strawberries, or whatever they had for supper. Tacy's father would do the same. Holding the plate in one hand and a glass of milk in the other, each little girl would walk carefully out of her house and down the porch steps and out to the middle of the road. Then they would walk up the hill to that bench where Tacy had stood the first night she came. And there they would eat supper together.

I've seen two cartoons recently that are a sign of these times we live in. The first was a holiday scene of a family. It was one of those houses where the kitchen flows into the living room. You could see all the food in the kitchen, while all the people were in the living room. But not together. Living parallel. Each one of them using a computer, or a cell phone, or playing a video game. The second is a recent New Yorker cover. Two skiers at the top of a beautiful world and one is taking a photo and the other is talking on a cell phone. They are each leaning in opposite directions.

This is as different as can be from the life we see in Betsy-Tacy. The families, the friends, the meals, the homes are the center of life.

When summer time came Betsy and Tacy didn't need to bother with school anymore. They could play all day long. They did play all day long, and they never once ran out of things to do.

"The days aren't long enough for those two," Betsy's mother said to Betsy's father.

Halcyon days, and a wonderful book.

Quote du jour/John Townsend Trowbridge

But cheerily the chickadee
Singeth to me on fence and tree

From Midwinter
by John Townsend Trowbridge
(1827-1916)

Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James

2. Talking About Detective Fiction
by P.D. James
nonfiction, 2009
finished, 1/4/10






In her introduction to the book, P.D. James says:

I hope that the many references to my own methods of working won't be seen as hubris; they are an attempt to answer some of the questions most frequently asked by my readers...

These 'references' were, for me, the most wonderful part of this book. I just loved reading:

I have used setting in this way to enhance danger and terror by contrast in a number of my novels. In A Taste for Death the two bodies, each with its head almost severed, are discovered in a church vestry by a gentle spinster and the young truant she has befriended. The contrast between the sanctity of the setting and the brutality of the murders intensifies the horror and can produce in the reader a disorientating unease, a sense that the ordained order has been overturned and we no longer stand on firm ground.

There are details of A Taste for Death, read so long ago, that suddenly pop up in my thoughts. This shows me the power of her writing; her absolute mastery at creating a scene, a sensation that remains ever memorable.

James doesn't try to cover all detective fiction. A few of the chapter titles are:

The Tenant of 221B Baker Street and the Parish Priest from Cobhole in Essex

The Golden Age

Soft-Centered and Hard-Boiled

Four Formidable Women

This little gem of a book is perfect. It is personal and conversational as if the reader is sitting in a lovely little bookstore with the author.

Tom gave me Talking About Detective Fiction for Christmas after hearing this report on National Public Radio. It is wonderful to hear her voice, and the piece will give you a good flavor of what the book is all about. I just loved it.

Short Story Monday/My Dear Miss Fairfax by Nicola Slade

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

I am delighted to say that you may read this story at Nicola Slade's homepage without getting up from your computer.

My Dear Miss Fairfax is an epistolary short story, told in letters between three people in the year 1840. The first letter comes to Lady Steyne from Ambrose Rogers, a man in his late thirties. They had met in the past and he asks for her help in finding a woman who could become his wife. She happens to know a woman in her early thirties, Adelaide Fairfax, whose parents are deceased. Lady Steyne introduces them through letters, and then they begin writing to one another. He has inherited a plantation from his boss on a tropical island. Miss Fairfax has lived in the family parsonage, and Lady Steyne lives in London. There is a really nice touch on Nicola's website whereby a photograph suggesting one of the three homes is featured next to the letter from that person. The page background is a lovely sea green making the story a real pleasure to read on the screen. Because the couple has a mutual acquaintance in Lady Steyne, one never fears the story ending badly. In just a few short pages, the reader gets to know the letter writers, and get a good sense of the island. This is a warm tale beautifully told, and I loved it.

Another wonderful short story by Nicola Slade at Letters from a Hill Farm:

here

Friday Finds/January 8

1. In light of my current interest in Swedish writing, Janice recommended in a comment, The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg.

2. Two recommendations by Martin Edwards: Death Wore White by Jim Kelly and An English Murder by Cyril Hare.

3. There are several on Miss Lemon's list of her top ten crime books that I want to read; a couple by Agatha Christie. I've read about The Sittaford Mystery too often to put off reading it much longer.

4. Speaking of top ten crime fiction, I am finding many, many titles I want to read on the lists people have submitted at Mysteries in Paradise. If you are interested in mysteries/crime fiction at all, you'll love reading these lists.

You may check out links to other Friday Finds here.

An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor

1. An Irish Country Village - second in the Irish Country series
by Patrick Taylor
fiction, 2008
library copy
unabridged audio read by John Keating
finished, 1/3/10


I am completely charmed by the Irish Country series set in the mid-1960s in Northern Ireland. I've really enjoyed the way each book covers only a short period of time, and the next one begins right where the other left off.

In the first book, the new doctor, Barry Laverty, doesn't spend as much time examining a patient as he feels he should have. He knows this, but he is young and on his way to visit his new girlfriend, and the man is a hypochondriac whose wife has called the doctors out many nights when there has been no problem. In this one instance though, it is the old tale of 'the boy who cried wolf.' This time there is something really wrong. In the second book, Barry fears a possible lawsuit stemming from the incident. And there is talk in the village that he isn't a good doctor.

The books are light-hearted and cheerful in many ways, but they also address serious issues in the life of this little village. There is an evil politico; there is an older couple not able to marry; there is an unmarried, pregnant young woman; there is a boss whose cruel behavior causes an employee's skin condition. Young Dr. Laverty learns that not everything is taught in medical school. Rules must be bent, and white lies must be told sometimes. His boss and guide, Dr. O'Reilly, is a true character who can be exasperating, but also very wise. And again, there is the wonderful Mrs. 'Kinky' Kincaid. She keeps the two of them on the straight and narrow, as she feeds and takes care of them. We also learn she has a bit of the second sight.

This video is not just about this book, but offers a great view of the countryside and pub life with the author speaking and bringing his books alive.



I've loved each book and look forward to the new one coming out this year.

More Patrick Taylor at Letters from a Hill Farm:

here

here

Chocolate Cookies

You may remember that in November we gave Margaret's boyfriend the gift of a dessert each month for a year as his birthday present. The first one was Chocolate Chip Bars. December's baked good wasn't a dessert, but a loaf of bread from the new bread maker. And these cookies are this month's installment. They are wonderful.

Chocolate Cookies

Cream together 1 1/4 cup soft butter and 2 cups sugar.
Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture.
You may then add 1 or 2 cups of chocolate chips or toffee bits, if desired. I added 1 cup chocolate chips.

Bake on ungreased sheet for 8-10 minutes in a preheated 350º oven.
Makes about four dozen cookies.

Short Story Monday/The Case of the Missing Will by Agatha Christie

Today's Short Story Monday is The Case of the Missing Will by Agatha Christie.

This story was offered free on audio during the week of Agatha Christie's birthday. It is 21 minutes long and narrated by David Suchet, the man who plays Poirot in the televised versions.

A young woman comes to Hercule Poirot with an interesting story. She was orphaned as a child and brought up by her only relative, her late father's brother. He was kind to her but they had one glaring difference of opinion; she wanted to attend college, and he didn't believe in 'book learning' for women. Though Miss Violet Marsh did go on to school they still had a friendly relationship. Now he has died and left a most unusual will. She may live in the old farmhouse, Crabtree Manor, for a year, 'during which my niece may prove her wits.' If his wits prove better, the house and money will go to various charities but if hers prevail, she will get everything. Violet asks for Hercule's help. He says that somewhere in the house her uncle has hidden either a second will or money. He views the situation as 'a problem charming and ingenious.' 'I shall have all the pleasure in the world of solving it for you.' While at the house, there are revelations and frustrations until Poirot's friend Hastings has an idea. The vain Poirot must admit, 'that may be one of your more sensible observations.'

This reader thought the story itself 'charming and ingenious.' I found myself smiling with delight as I listened.

The story was originally published in a collection called Poirot Investigates published in 1924. Agatha Christie, a Reader's Companion by Vanessa Wagstaff & Stephen Poole, offers the original UK dust-wrapper.


Short Story Monday is hosted by John.

Today's poem - The Things by Donald Hall

The Things
by Donald Hall

When I walk in my house I see pictures,
bought long ago, framed and hanging
—de Kooning, Arp, Laurencin, Henry Moore—
that I’ve cherished and stared at for years,
yet my eyes keep returning to the masters
of the trivial: a white stone perfectly round,
tiny lead models of baseball players, a cowbell,
a broken great-grandmother’s rocker,
a dead dog’s toy—valueless, unforgettable
detritus that my children will throw away
as I did my mother’s souvenirs of trips
with my dead father, Kodaks of kittens,
and bundles of cards from her mother Kate.

More Donald Hall at Letters from a Hill Farm:

here

here

here

here

Book Reports/2010

Alphabetically by book title:

A Cotswold Killing by Rebecca Tope - first in the Thea Osborne series

A Graceful Death by Ann Summerville

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie - fourth in the Jane Marple series

A Nun in the Closet by Dorothy Gilman

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie - first in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie - second in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor - fourth in the Irish Country series

An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor - second in the Irish Country series

An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym

Alphabet Juice by Roy Blount, Jr.

Arbor Day Square by Kathryn O. Galbraith, illustrated by Cyd Moore

Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason - seventh in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries

Beatrix Potter A Journal

Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams - second in the Echo Falls series

Best Foot Forward by Joan Bauer - a sequel to Rules of the Road

Betsy~Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace - first in the Betsy~Tacy series

Betsy~Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace - second in the Betsy~Tacy series

Billy Boyle by James R. Benn - first in the Billy Boyle World War II Mystery series

Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker - first in the Bruno, Chief of Police series

Carney's House Party by Maud Hart Lovelace - companion book in the Betsy-Tacy series

Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress by Candacy A. Taylor

Death of a Gentle Lady by M.C. Beaton - twenty-fourth in the Hamish Macbeth series

Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton - twenty-fifth in the Hamish Macbeth series

Death On Demand by Carolyn G. Hart - first in the Death On Demand series

Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten - first in the Inspector Huss series

Dive Deep and Deadly by Glynn Marsh Alam - first in the Luanne Fogarty series

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn - first in the Chet and Bernie series

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams - first in the Echo Falls series

Eloise by Kay Thompson

Evening Class by Maeve Binchy

Into the Dark by Peter Abrahams - third in the Echo Falls series

Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason - third in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries

Leave the Grave Green by Deborah Crombie - third in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Mourn Not Your Dead by Deborah Crombie - fourth in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

Mrs. Malory: Death of a Dean by Hazel Holt - seventh in the Sheila Malory series

Murder on Campus by Hazel Holt - fifth in the Sheila Malory series

Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham - second in the Albert Campion series

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell - first in the Bagthorpe series

Past Perfect by Susan Isaacs

Please Pass the Guilt by Rex Stout - a Nero Wolfe mystery

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

Sarah Orne Jewett - A Writer's Life by Elizabeth Silverstone

Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason - fourth in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries

Superflous Death by Hazel Holt - sixth in the Sheila Malory series

Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James

The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman - second in the Mrs. Pollifax series

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie - second in the Jane Marple series

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer - fifth in the Enola Holmes series

The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall - second in the Vish Puri series

The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith

The Dark Vineyard: A Mystery of the French Countryside by Martin Walker- second in the Bruno, Chief of Police series

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith - twelfth in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason - sixth in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith - sixth in the Isabel Dalhousie series

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear - seventh in the Maisie Dobbs series

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama - first in the Marriage Bureau for Rich People series

The Most They Ever Had by Rick Bragg

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie - third in the Jane Marple series

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie - first in the Jane Marple series

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie - second in the Hercule Poirot series

The Pantry - Its History and Modern Uses by Catherine Seiberling Pond

The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

The Stabbing in the Stables by Simon Brett - seventh in the Fethering series

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - first in the Flavia de Luce series

The Torso by Helene Tursten - second in the Inspector Irene Huss series

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman - first in the Mrs. Pollifax series

Thereby Hangs A Tail by Spencer Quinn - second in the Chet and Bernie series

This Year It Will Be Different and Other Stories by Maeve Binchy

Voices by Arnaldur Indridason - fifth in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries

Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany - fourth in the Constable Molly Smith series

Alphabetically by author:

Peter Abrahams, books 1, 2, and 3

Glynn Marsh Alam

Margery Allingham

Allison Hoover Bartlett

Joan Bauer

Joan Bauer, book 2

M.C. Beaton

M.C. Beaton, book 2

James R. Benn

Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy, book 2

Maeve Binchy, book 3

Roy Blount, Jr.

Alan Bradley

Simon Brett

Rick Bragg

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie, book 2

Agatha Christie, book 3

Agatha Christie, book 4

Agatha Christie, books 5 and 6

Helen Cresswell

Deborah Crombie

Deborah Crombie, book 2

Deborah Crombie, book 3

Deborah Crombie, book 4

Vicki Delany

Siobhan Dowd

Kathryn O. Galbraith

Dorothy Gilman

Dorothy Gilman - books 2 and 3

Tarquin Hall

Carolyn G. Hart

Hazel Holt

Hazel Holt - book 2

Hazel Holt - book 3

Susan Isaacs

Arnaldur Indridason

Arnaldur Indridason - book 2

Arnaldur Indridason - book 3

Arnaldur Indridason - book 4

Arnaldur Indridason - book 5

P.D. James

Maud Hart Lovelace

Maud Hart Lovelace - book 2

Maud Hart Lovelace - book 3

Elizabeth Peters

Catherine Seiberling Pond

Barbara Pym

Beatrix Potter

Spencer Quinn

Spencer Quinn - book 2

Elizabeth Silverthorne

Helen Simonson

Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith, book 2

Lee Smith

Nancy Springer

Rex Stout

Ann Summerville

Candacy A. Taylor

Patrick Taylor

Patrick Taylor - book 2

Kay Thompson

Rebecca Tope

Helene Tursten

Helene Tursten - book 2

Anne Tyler

Martin Walker - books 1 and 2

Jacqueline Winspear

Farahad Zama

Books Read in 2010

You may click on highlighted titles to read a review:

December - 8

77. Mourn Not Your Dead - fourth in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

by Deborah Crombie

mystery, 1996

Kindle book - 20

finished, 12/31/10

76. Mrs. Malory: Death of a Dean (also known as Death of a Dean) - seventh in the Mrs. Malory series

by Hazel Holt

mystery, 1996

finished, 12/28/10

75. A Murder is Announced - fourth in the Miss Marple series

by Agatha Christie

mystery, 1950

Kindle book - 19

finished, 12/27/10

74. The Sittaford Mystery

by Agatha Christie

mystery, 1931

Kindle book - 18

finished, 12/20/10

73. Evening Class

by Maeve Binchy

fiction, 1996

second reading

Kindle book - 17

finished, 12/14/10

72. This Year It Will Be Different and Other Stories

A Christmas Treasury

by Maeve Binchy

fiction, 1996

finished, 12/13/10

71. Dive Deep and Deadly - first in the Luanne Fogarty series

by Glynn Marsh Alam

mystery, 2000

Kindle book - 16

finished, 12/6/10

70. Leave the Grave Green - third in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

by Deborah Crombie

mystery, 1995

Kindle book - 15

finished, 12/2/10

November - 3

69. A Cotswold Killing - first in the Thea Osborne series

by Rebecca Tope

mystery, 2004

Kindle book - 14

finished, 11/28/10

68. The Christmas Letters

by Lee Smith

fiction, 1996

fourth reading

finished, 11/25/10

67. The Moving Finger - third in the Miss Marple series

by Agatha Christie

mystery, 1942

Kindle book - 13

finished, 11/22/10

October - 5

66. Scarlet Feather

by Maeve Binchy

fiction, 2000

second reading

Kindle book - 12

finished, 10/25/10

65. All Shall Be Well - second in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

by Deborah Crombie

mystery, 1994

Kindle book - 11

finished, 10/17/10

64. Arctic Chill - seventh in the Reykjafvík Murder Mysteries

by Arnaldur Indridason

translated by Bernard Scudder and Victoria Cribb

mystery, 2005

finished, 10/16/10

63. Billy Boyle - first in the Billy Boyle World War II Mystery series

by James R. Benn

mystery, 2006

Kindle book - 10

finished, 10/11/10

62. The Dark Vineyard : A Mystery of the French Countryside - second in the Bruno, Chief of Police series

by Martin Walker

mystery, 2009

Kindle book - 9

finished, 10/1/10

September - 10

61. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People - first in the Marriage Bureau for Rich People series

by Farahad Zama

fiction, 2009

Kindle book - 8

finished, 9/26/10

60. The Double Comfort Safari Club - twelfth in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

by Alexander McCall Smith

fiction, 2010

Kindle book - 7

finished, 9/25/10

59. Bruno, Chief of Police - first in the Bruno, Chief of Police series

by Martin Walker

mystery, 2008

Kindle book - 6

finished, 9/18/10

58. The Body in the Library - second in the Miss Marple series

by Agatha Christie

mystery, 1942

Kindle book - 5

finished, 9/15/10

57. Winter of Secrets - third in the Constable Molly Smith series

by Vicki Delany

mystery, 2009

Kindle book - 4

finished, 9/12/10

56. Best Foot Forward - a sequel to Rules of the Road

by Joan Bauer

young adult fiction, 2005

library book

finished, 9/12/10

55. A Share in Death - first in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series

by Deborah Crombie

mystery, 1993

Kindle book - 3

finished, 9/10/10

54. The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing - second in the Vish Puri series

by Tarquin Hall

mystery, 2010

Kindle book - 2

finished, 9/6/10

53. A Graceful Death

by Ann Summerville

mystery, 2009

finished, 9/4/10

52. The Murder at the Vicarage - first in the Miss Marple series

by Agatha Christie

mystery, 1930

Kindle book - 1

finished, 9/2/10

August - 10

51. Rules of the Road

by Joan Bauer

young adult fiction, 1998

library book

finished, 8/29/10

50. Into the Dark - third in the Echo Falls series

by Peter Abrahams

young adult mystery, 2008

library book

finished, 8/25/10

49. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax - second in the Mrs. Pollifax series

by Dorothy Gilman

mystery, 1970

third or fourth reading

library book

unabridged audio read by Barbara Rosenblat

finished, 8/25/10

48. Behind the Curtain - second in the Echo Falls series

by Peter Abrahams
young adult mystery, 2006
library book
finished, 8/22/10

47. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax - first in the Mrs. Pollifax series

by Dorothy Gilman

mystery, 1966

third or fourth reading

library book

unabridged audio read by Barbara Rosenblat

finished, 8/18/10

46. Down The Rabbit Hole - first in the Echo Falls series

by Peter Abrahams

young adult mystery, 2005

library book

finished, 8/16/10

45. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

by Allison Hoover Bartlett

nonfiction, 2009

library book

unabridged audio read by Judith Brackley

finished, 8/8/10

44. Alphabet Juice

by Roy Blount, Jr.

nonfiction, 2008

library book

abridged audio read by the author

finished, 8/5/10

43. The London Eye Mystery

by Siobhan Dowd

juvenile mystery, 2007

finished, 8/4/10

42. American Bloomsbury

by Susan Cheever

nonfiction, 2006

second reading - book report here

library book

unabridged audio read by Kate Reading

finished, 8/2/10

July - 5

41. Sarah Orne Jewett - A Writer's Life

by Elizabeth Silverthorne

nonfiction, 1993

finished, 7/31/10

40. Thereby Hangs a Tail - second in the Chet and Bernie series

by Spencer Quinn

mystery, 2010

unabridged audio read by Jim Frangione

finished, 7/28/10

39. The Draining Lake - sixth in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries

by Arnaldur Indridason

translated by Bernard Scudder

mystery, 2004

finished, 7/18/10

38. Past Perfect

by Susan Isaacs

fiction, 2007

library book

unabridged audio read by Randye Kaye

finished, 7/16/10

37. A River in the Sky - 19th in the Amelia Peabody series

by Elizabeth Peters

mystery, 2010

unabridged audio read by Barbara Rosenblat

finished, 7/12/10

June - 6

36. The Lost Art of Gratitude - sixth in the Isabel Dalhousie series

by Alexander McCall Smith

fiction, 2009

unabridged audio read by Davina Porter

finished, 6/28/10

35. Voices - fifth in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries

by Arnaldur Indridason

translated by Bernard Scudder

mystery, 2003

finished, 6/25/10

34. A Nun in the Closet

by Dorothy Gilman

mystery, 1975

third reading

unabridged audio read by Roslyn Alexander

finished, 6/23/10

33. Eloise

by Kay Thompson, drawings by Hilary Knight

children's picture book, 1955

library book

finished, 6/21/10

32. Mystery Mile - second in the Albert Campion series

by Margery Allingham

mystery, 1930

library book

unabridged audio read by Francis Matthews

library book

finished, 6/15/10

31. Silence of the Grave (Icelandic title, Grafarpögn) - fourth in the Reykjavík Murder Mysteries

translated by Bernard Scudder

mystery, 2002

finished, 6/14/10

May - 5

30. Noah's Compass

by Anne Tyler

fiction, 2009

library book

unabridged audio read by Arthur Morey

finished, 5/31/10

29. The Torso (Swedish title, Tatuerad Torso) - second in the Inspector Huss series

by Helene Tursten

translated by Katarina E. Tucker

mystery, 2000

finished, 5/30/10

28. Death On Demand - first in the Death On Demand series

by Carolyn G. Hart

mystery, 1987

library book

finished, 5/21/10

27. Detective Inspector Huss (Swedish title, Krossade tanghästen) - first in the Inspector Huss series

by Helene Tursten

translated by Steven T. Murray

mystery, 1998

finished, 5/17/10

26. The Mapping of Love and Death - seventh in the Maisie Dobbs series

by Jacqueline Winspear

mystery, 2010

library book

finished, 5/4/10

April - 8

25. Superfluous Death (US title - Mrs. Malory Wonders Why) - sixth in the Mrs Malory series

by Hazel Holt

mystery, 1995

finished, 4/30/10

24. Murder on Campus (US title - Mrs. Malory: Detective in Residence) - fifth in the Mrs Malory series

by Hazel Holt

mystery, 1994

finished, 4/28/10

23. Dog On It - first in the Chet and Bernie series

by Spencer Quinn

mystery, 2009

finished, 4/23/10

22. Arbor Day Square
by Kathryn O. Galbraith, illustrated by Cyd Moore
children's book, 2010
finished, 4/23/10

21. Jar City (also known as Tainted Blood; original Icelandic name was Myrin) - third in the Reykjavík Murder Mysteries

by Arnaldur Indridason

translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder

mystery, 2000

finished, 4/17/10

20. Betsy~Tacy and Tib - second in the Betsy~Tacy series

by Maud Hart Lovelace

juvenile fiction, 1941

read multiple times

finished, 4/13/10

19. Counter Culture

The American Coffee Shop Waitress

by Candacy A. Taylor

nonfiction, 2009

finished, 4/8/10

18. Please Pass the Guilt - a Nero Wolfe mystery

by Rex Stout

mystery, 1973

finished, 4/7/10

March - 5

17. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

fiction, 2010

finished, 3/29/10

16. Death of a Witch - twenty-fifth in the Hamish Macbeth series

by M.C. Beaton

mystery, 2009

library book

finished, 3/21/10

15. Death of a Gentle Lady - twenty-fourth in the Hamish Macbeth series

by M.C. Beaton

mystery, 2008

library book

finished, 3/17/10

14. The Stabbing in the Stables - seventh in the Fethering series

by Simon Brett

mystery, 2006

library book

finished, 3/12/10

13. Beatrix Potter

A Journal

nonfiction, 2006

finished, 3/4/10

February - 6

12. Ordinary Jack

Being the First Part of The Bagthorpe Saga

by Helen Cresswell

juvenile fiction, 1977

second reading

library book

finished, 2/25/10

11. The Most They Ever Had

by Rick Bragg

nonfiction, 2009

finished, 2/23/10

10. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - first in the Flavia de Luce series

by Alan Bradley

mystery, 2009

finished, 2/20/10

9. An Unsuitable Attachment

by Barbara Pym

fiction, 1982 (published posthumously - submitted to twenty publishers, beginning in 1963 and refused)

finished, 2/11/10

8. Carney's House Party

by Maud Hart Lovelace

juvenile fiction, 1949

library book

finished, 2/3/10

7. The Pantry

Its History and Modern Uses

by Catherine Seiberling Pond

nonfiction, 2007

finished, 2/2/10

January - 6

6. The Murder on the Links - second in the Hercule Poirot series

by Agatha Christie

mystery, 1923

finished, 1/28/10

5. An Irish Country Girl - fourth in the Irish Country series

by Patrick Taylor

fiction, 2010

finished, 1/21/10

4. The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline - fifth in the Enola Holmes series

by Nancy Springer

young adult mystery, 2009

library book

finished, 1/15/10

3. Betsy~Tacy - first in the Betsy~Tacy series

by Maud Hart Lovelace

juvenile fiction, 1940

read multiple times

finished, 1/10/10

2. Talking About Detective Fiction

by P.D. James

nonfiction, 2009

finished, 1/4/10

1. An Irish Country Village - second in the Irish Country series

by Patrick Taylor

fiction, 2008

library book

unabridged audio read by John Keating

finished, 1/3/10

A little bookkeeping

The next couple of posts will be empty. They are just my collection places for this year's books.

Typically British Reading Challenge

Book Chick City is hosting the Typically British Reading Challenge, which you know is right up my alley, or as the British say, street. I read a lot of British fiction, and so am joining the highest level:

"Cream Crackered" – Read 8 Typically British novels

For more information, you may click the picture on the sidebar of the adorable dog.

Addendum: On January 22, I decided to drop this challenge.

You've Got Mail Reading Challenge

You may have seen a picture on the sidebar of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail. Well, Book Psmith is hosting a challenge in which we read:

the authors and books highlighted, mentioned or pictured throughout the film

I thought this sounded wonderful so I joined. Many of the books are children's books which I have either never read or haven't read in a long time. You may find the complete list and more information by clicking the photo from the movie.

Reporting on the 2009 books

This is the book geek posting of the year because I like to know these statistics.

62 books read: 58 print; 4 audio

43 by women
19 by men

Genres:

29 fiction
22 mystery
6 nonfiction
4 juvenile
1 young adult

Publication dates:

27 - 2000s

6 - 1990s

2 - 1980s
6 - 1970s
1 - 1960s
3 - 1950s
5 - 1940s
7 - 1930s
3 - 1920s
2 - 1900-1919