Sunday, March 22, 2020

Bookshelf Traveling For Insane Times

Judith at Reader in the Wilderness has started a new meme and she's calling it 'Bookshelf Traveling For Insane Times'. More details are here and here at Judith's blog. The idea is to do this every Friday (but anytime in the weekend is fine). For these times when we are (mostly) confined to our homes, the suggestion is to look through a bookshelf or a bookcase or stacks of books and share some thoughts on the books. Or in general: "Talking about books and reading experiences from the past, present, or future."

My first thought was to go through my stacks and boxes of uncatalogued books choose a few to talk about (and then actually catalog them). For two years now, I have neglected to catalog most of the books I have bought, and that is a large number, because I always buy at least 100 books at the annual Planned Parenthood Book Sale (most of them are $1 each).

So I will start with:
Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains. This is book 5 in the Dandy Gilver series, written by Catriona McPherson. I had forgotten I had purchased it online over a year ago.

I have read two previous books in the series. I was lukewarm on the first book, After the Armistice Ball, but I liked the 4th book in the series, The Winter Ground, a lot. And The Winter Ground is set around Christmas.

Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains is set in 1926 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Dandy, a wealthy amateur sleuth, has taken an undercover job as a maid to investigate a possible crime. This sounds like a really interesting premise, so I am glad I uncovered this book.


Next is...
Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger

This one I knew I had, but wasn't sure where it had ended up. Now that I have relocated it, I will read it in the next few months. Boundary Waters is the second book in the Cork O'Connor series, which now numbers 17 books. In December 2018, I read the first book in this series, Iron Lake, after a recommendation by Rick Robinson at Tip the Wink. That one had been on my TBR a long, long time.

This description of the series is from Krueger's web site:
Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe.
Boundary Waters takes place in the Quetico-Superior Wilderness: more than two million acres of forest, white-water rapids, and uncharted islands on the Canadian/American border.

... and also...
Mistakenly in Mallorca by Roderic Jeffries

Now this is a book and a series I don't know much about. I learned about this from two sources: Margot Kinberg, when she was blogging at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist, and Mathew Paust at Crime Time.  I purchased a copy in November 2018.

This was the first book in the Inspector Alvarez series and was published in 1974. There are a total of 37 books in the series, and the last was published in 2013. He wrote several other series, under various pseudonyms.

Enrique Alvarez is a police inspector on Mallorca, the largest island in the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean. Although it is a part of Spain, the native language is Catalan, with Spanish also an official language. This setting in the early 1970s sounds interesting, and I like police procedurals, so I was willing to give it a try. I should do that soon.



20 comments:

Cath said...

Well I just new this new meme would end up adding to my tbr shelves. LOL! I shall be off to grab Iron Lake for my Kindle in a moment. *LOVE* the sound of a series set in the north woods of Minnesota! How have I not heard of these before?

Nice post, Tracy. I think this meme of Judith's will give us all a lot of pleasure in these difficult times.

Kay said...

I think this is a very nice meme and I'm glad you are participating in it, Tracy. I've read a couple of Catriona MacPherson's books, but they were in her standalone category. Have not read any of her Dandy books. I have read a two or three of William Kent Krueger's series and have more of them yet to read. My husband is caught up on that series and always is glad to see a new one. Sounds like you've got some good ideas of things to do while 'cooped up'. Take care!

Margot Kinberg said...

That's a great idea for a meme, Tracy. I really hope you'll enjoy your finds. I liked ...Bloodstains very much, and I very much enjoyed Mistakenly in Mallorca, too. They're very different books, written at (and about) different times. But they're both (in my opinion) well-written, and they're good 'escape' options when one's staying at home most of the time.

TracyK said...

Cath, I think you would like Iron Lake and its setting. It is a very good book but more of a thriller than I expected. I got very involved in the story.

I enjoyed doing the meme although I am having problems with concentrating.

TracyK said...

Kay, I have some of Catriona McPherson's standalone books and I will try them someday. I am glad to hear that both you and your husband like the Krueger series. I may never make it to the end of the series, there are so many.

TracyK said...

Margot, I think I will enjoy Mistakenly in Mallorca. I am amazed at how many books Roderic Jeffries wrote (under different names).

Rick Robinson said...

As you are aware, the Krueger series is one of my very favorites, and Boundary Waters one of my favorites in it. The setting is fabulous, the plot strong, the characters nicely drawn.

An interesting meme, I'll consider it, although I usually do the Friday Forgotten Books one on Fridays. Maybe this is an alternative? Three interesting books this time - are you going to do it on Mondays? - one of them, the Jeffries, I may try.

Stay well, breathe clear.

TracyK said...

Rick, I do know that the Krueger series is a favorite of yours, and I hope to get to Boundary Waters soon. I have been trying to read cozier books lately but I will probably need a change soon.

I usually do posts for Friday's Forgotten Books ahead of time on Wednesdays, but lately have been slower and more behind on everything. Ideally I would do a Forgotten book Wed. or Thurs., then this meme on Friday or Saturday.

You are very good at writing about your reading, both to be read and already read, it would be great if you posted on this meme.

Take care.

Katrina said...

I think I'll be joining in with this one. I've enjoyed the Dandy Gilver series. Some people don't like Dandy's relationship with her husband but I think it's so funny - I know the type.

TracyK said...

Katrina, I know what you mean about Dandy and her husband. When I read the first book, I had problems with their relationship, but then when I read the 4th book, and it cleared that up enough for me. I don't know how realistic the premise is of Dandy as detective, but the stories are well done and I can suspend disbelief when necessary.

I do hope you join in.

Judith said...

What a wonderfully mixed selection of titles. I'm very interested in the northern Boundary Waters novel and series. Wilderness themes are something I really, really groove on, so I'll look this one up immediately. A wonderful tour. And I'll return to the list soon.

TracyK said...

Judith, I do think you would like William Kent Krueger's series. I have only read one in the series, but many people like the series and I think a lot of the books have environmental themes.

Judith said...

Tracy,
I've got The Iron Lake on my Kindle right now, and on Ken's as well, because I think he would really love this one. I hope we can read it together in the coming days. Thank you!

TracyK said...

I hope you both like it, Judith.

Rick Robinson said...

She doesn't seem to be answering comments left to the posts about this meme. Darn.

TracyK said...

I did see your comment at Judith's post, Rick. I am sure if you did posts for the meme on the occasional Wednesday, it would be welcome.

Clothes in Books said...

I love the randomness of this! I think we all have books on our shelves that have been there too long, and is interesting to remember when and why we bought them.

TracyK said...

So true, Moira. The same box I was going through had several classics I had bought for the Classics Club list and several vintage mysteries.

col2910 said...

Tracy, Krueger was an author I could never make my mind up whether to try or not. I decided against in the end. Only on the basis that if I tried one and liked it I'd probably end up buying most of the series and never reading it. I have read a standalone from Catriona McPherson and enjoyed it, but I'm not especially tempted by the Dandy Gilver series if I'm honest.

I have a few Jeffries books on the Kindle but from a couple of his other series. The setting for the Alvarez books both time and palce are tempting.

TracyK said...

Col, we have both done enough of that, buying several books in a series and not reading them. I am trying to actually read some of those books now but still buying new books. Oh well.

I hope I do like Jeffries when I read that book but then I would want to read more in the series. Yes, the time and place do appeal.