Sunday, December 4, 2016

Reading in November 2016

Another wonderful month of reading with a good bit of variety. Some relatively current crime fiction, a fantasy novel, a couple of mysteries set at Christmas, and some mysteries from earlier decades.

I started out the month with a book from the fantasy genre, one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. I read Mort, the first book in the Death series. I am glad that I have finally started reading Pratchett's books.

I also read a very short graphic novel, RED. This graphic novel by Warren Ellis was the basis for the movie of the same title, released in 2010, starring Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, and a lot of other entertaining and talented actors. When I say it was short, it was only three issues when first published, for a total of 66 pages. The book also includes character design sketches and the script and layouts for issue 1. I found these very interesting since I don't know the processes for developing a comic.



These are the crime fiction books I read in November...

A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake
(Originally published in 1935, this book is set in a boarding school. This was the first book in the Nigel Strangeways mysteries by Nicholas Blake. Nicholas Blake was the pseudonym of Cecil Day Lewis, a poet laureate in the UK in the late 1960's into the early 1970's.)

Thou Shell of Death by Nicholas Blake
(This was the second book in the Nigel Strangeways mystery series. It is set at Christmas, and is a traditional English country house mystery.)

The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D. MacDonald (reviewed here)

Past Tense by Margot Kinberg (reviewed here)

Dupe by Liza Cody (reviewed here)


Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves
(This is the second book in Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope series, which is also now a TV series. A woman was put in prison ten years before for killing a teenage girl, the daughter of her ex-lover. Now it has been discovered that the woman was innocent, and Vera is looking into the original investigation.)

Murder Goes Mumming by Alisa Craig
(Another book set at Christmas. This one is a cozy, a humorous tale set in New Brunswick, Canada. Alisa Craig is the pseudonym of Charlotte MacLeod, used for two series set in Canada . Review coming soon.)



8 comments:

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

Tracy, even though I rarely read graphic novels, I find RED by Warren Ellis rather appealing. I'm sure I have seen the film.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Oh, how I loved Nicholas Blake back in the day. Same with Cody
and Macdonald. I read Margot's last books, what a nice setting and protagonist, but haven't gotten to this one.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Tracy, for hte mention (you, too, Patti *blush*). I'm very glad you've had a rich and varied month of reading. I haven't really read graphic novels, at least not in a very long time. But I know some of them are great. Thanks for the reminder.

TracyK said...

Prashant, RED the graphic novel is much darker than the movie, but I was very interested in reading it once I realized the movie was based on a graphic novel. It was a good read for me under the circumstances.

TracyK said...

Patti, I read a lot of Nicholas Blake and John D. MacDonald when I was younger but now I cannot remember which ones. Cody was a new discovery for me. And yes, Margot's second book has a great setting. This new has the same setting, but the story is quite different, and I like that.

TracyK said...

Happy to mention your book and your wonderful series here, Margot.

I have read comics and graphic novels in the past, but I am sampling various types and various authors and artists now to see what I enjoy most. There are too many out there to keep up with them all.

Clothes In Books said...

Oh I just read Shell of Death, to do a Christmas entry for the blog! You haven't reviewed it have you? Are you going to?

TracyK said...

Yes, Moira, I will be reviewing it, before the end of December. Closer to the end of December probably. I liked it better than A Question of Proof, but I am definitely a fan of Nicholas Blake's mystery novels.