The Year-End Meme

I happened to be over at Jen's Book Thoughts, and when I read her answers to this year-end meme, I knew I had to give it a try, too.

There's something about taking stock at the end of a year. As I turned the pages of the book journal that I've kept, I was reminded of what a wonderful reading year this has been for me. I'll have a "statistics" post coming up in the next day or so, but right now, I'd just like to think of some of the most memorable reads I've had in 2011.

Best Book of 2011

I resist any attempt to force me to choose one favorite book. In a very real sense, it's like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. Each year I have a page on my blog where I keep a running list of the books I've read and to which I've given the highest ratings. I'm on the verge of finishing my last book of the year, and it has all the signs of joining this list which currently holds nineteen books (making this one of my best reading years yet). Of the books published in 2011, three of my favorites are A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny, Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley, and A Vine in the Blood by Leighton Gage.


Worst Book of 2011

I'm not going to list any titles here. I didn't finish reading six books this year. I had a couple that I only rated as D's, and there were several C's. For whatever the reason, these particular books just didn't push the right buttons for me, but I don't think any of them deserve being pasted with a "Worst of" label.


Most Disappointing Book of 2011

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books of all time. P.D. James is a master of crime fiction. To say I was thrilled to hear that James had taken on Elizabeth and Darcy would be an understatement. You haven't seen my review of Death Comes to Pemberley yet, but I wasn't smiling as I read the last page.


Most Surprising (in a good way) Book of 2011

I expect to enjoy each and every book I read, but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed A.D. Scott's A Small Death in the Great Glen and The Informationist by Taylor Stevens. Scott's Scottish Highlands of the 1950s is vivid and alive, populated with a splendid cast of characters. In Vanessa Michael Munroe, Stevens has created an unforgettable, unpredictable character that I hope to read about for years to come.


Book You Recommended to People Most in 2011

Whenever I was out and about this year, I seemed to talk to people who had a preference for non-fiction. I may be primarily a fiction reader, but that doesn't stop me from having a recommendation or two! For those non-fiction lovers, I had two books I urged them to read: Winged Obsession by Jessica Speart, and The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum. The first about the devastation one man has caused in the natural world; the other about two men who were determined not to let poisoners get away with murder.



Best Series You Discovered in 2011

Hands down. No doubt about it. Ain't no changin' my mind--- Martin Walker's charming series featuring Bruno, Chief of Police of St. Denis, a marvelous village in the Perigord region of southwestern France. This series (I've read two of the three books) pushed all the right buttons so hard that some of them are stuck.


Favorite New Authors You Discovered in 2011

Of course I have to include the aforementioned Martin Walker, but lounging in the front row with Martin are: Timothy Hallinan, whose Nail Through the Heart is exceptional... as is Barbara Nadel's Belshazzar's Daughter. These three authors opened my eyes not only to wonderful characters but to the countries of France, Thailand and Turkey in ways that will remain with me for years to come.


Most Hilarious Read of 2011

My criterion for this was that it had to be a book that made me laugh so hard that Denis walked into the room insisting that I tell him what was so funny. In contention this year is anything I've read by Jeffrey Cohen (AKA E.J. Copperman) and Mark de Castrique's Dangerous Undertaking, but the winner is Marshall Karp's The Rabbit Factory.






Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book in 2011

For me, it was Chris Grabenstein's Mad Mouse, and if you know that "mad mouse" is the term for a type of roller coaster, you just might have an a- HA moment!


Book You Most Anticipated in 2011

There are authors whose latest books I'm always champing at the bit to get my hands on... Craig Johnson, Nevada Barr, Deborah Crombie to name three. However if the book itself is more important than the author, I would have to say I was really looking forward to P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley. If you started reading this post from the very beginning, you'll know that the ending of this story isn't exactly a happy one. One can pay quite a high price for being greatly anticipated....


Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2011

I've never been a "cover junkie." Yes, a cover may draw my eye and make me pick up a book, but my fascination is always with the story.

However, this UK cover of Ann Cleeves' Blue Lightning is both striking and memorable with its strong weather, lighthouse and bolt of lightning.





Most Memorable Character in 2011

Four came to mind almost immediately: Ruby Thomas, the title character of Joseph Wallace's Diamond Ruby; a horse-- Snowman-- star of Elizabeth Letts' The Eighty-Dollar Champion; Andrew Davidson, grieving brother-turned-vigilante in Bill Kirton's The Darkness; and the winner-- Nina Borg, a woman who found a little boy stuffed in a suitcase and refused to shirk her responsibility for his well being, in The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis.


Most Beautifully Written Book in 2011

Louise Penny's A Trick of the Light. I love the way this woman writes. It's as if she has a window into my soul.


Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2011

Two (and both because of the characters): Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friss' The Boy in the Suitcase and Jessica Speart's Winged Obsession.


Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2011 to Finally Read

Julia Spencer Fleming's In the Bleak Midwinter, the first book in the Clare Fergusson/ Russ Val Alstyne mystery series. Sometimes I should ignore all the hype and just. Read. The. Book. Already.


That's it for the year-end meme. I love reading these sorts of lists, so if you have one, please leave a link so I can go right over there and take a look!

My next year-end post will be for all you statistics and chart lovers. Stay tuned!

A Weekly Link Round-Up on the Run

Not many links this week because my attention has been focused elsewhere-- like reading Nevada Barr's latest Anna Pigeon mystery, compiling my year-end statistics, and various other things. I did manage to go to Target yesterday and wander through the Christmas clearance before I picked up the needed food items. I picked up several goodies that I'll be using next year when I decorate. Fun, fun, fun!

Before I share my latest links offerings with you, I just want to wish you all a Happy New Year. May 2012 be an unending source of joy and laughter!


Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

• I like this shelf installation... modern, yet functional.
• How Crime Fiction Saved Christmas.
• "Cheetah" the chimpanzee from the 1930s "Tarzan" films has died.
• Titanic artifacts up for auction.
• The Long Decline of Reading.

eBooks

• Poisoned Pen Press has an eBook special going that no fan of crime fiction should ignore. They have priced 10 great eBooks for just 99¢ apiece. They are almost all "first in series" and several are from my favorite authors like Donis Casey, Vicki Delany, Mary Anna Evans, Jon Talton, and Betty Webb. The price is perfect-- take a look and indulge yourselves!

That's it for this week's abbreviated round-up. Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!

1222 by Anne Holt

Title: 1222
Author: Anne Holt
Translator: Marlaine Delargy
ISBN: 9781451634716
Publisher: Scribner, 2011
Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #8 Hanne Wilhelmsen mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: As it was only the train driver who died, you couldn't call it a disaster.

But Hanne Wilhelmsen would disagree with that assessment. The train she is traveling on derails in the mountains 1222 meters above sea level during a massive blizzard. Fortunately there is a nearby hotel. It's an old building and nearly empty except for the staff, but at least the passengers have someplace warm and dry to wait for rescue. No one knows exactly when that rescue will take place because no one is going anywhere while the blizzard is still raging.

With plenty of food and sheltered from the storm, the passengers believe they are safe and once the shock of the derailment wears off, they are almost in a holiday mood. When morning dawns, one of the passengers is found dead, and that feeling of safety vanishes like mist. Retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen, being the only person in the hotel remotely connected to law enforcement, is asked to investigate. She'd rather not, and she makes that plain. Paralyzed by a bullet lodged in her spine, Hanne has made it a habit to keep herself to herself. She wants no help, but she does want to be left alone. Unfortunately for her, her curiosity and natural talent for observation weren't paralyzed along with her legs.

Hanne begins to take an interest in the other passengers and their secrets. When another body turns up, she knows that time is running out. She has to act fast before panic sets in amongst the other passengers. Her investigation is complicated by a mysterious passenger who had been traveling in a private rail car at the end of the train and was evacuated first to the top floor of the hotel. No one knows the identity of this mystery guest or why there is a need for armed guards, but this is certainly making everyone nervous-- and nervous people can do unpredictable, dangerous things.

Hanne is trapped. Trapped by her wheelchair. Trapped by the blizzard. And trapped in an old hotel with a killer. Will time run out before she's able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together?

There's something about a "locked room" mystery involving a blizzard that I simply cannot resist, and although I never did completely warm up to the prickly Hanne, I did enjoy watching her observe everyone and piece clues together. The blizzard outdoors was a strong-willed character that had me looking for a heavy sweater and a warm pair of socks, and Holt populated the inside of the hotel with an interesting mix of people that were in turns exasperating and endearing.

One of the best things about locked room mysteries is the fact that they have very little to do with forensics and everything to do with observation and stimulating the little grey cells. Hanne mentions one thing she observed several times, but for some reason (perhaps because I was still looking for those socks) my little grey cells misfired and never deduced why that one thing was so important. I do like when that happens.

I also like the fact that, although this is the eighth mystery featuring Hanne Wilhelmsen, it didn't matter. This was my first experience of watching her in action, and I was never confused. Enough of her backstory is given so that Hanne is well and truly introduced to us all-- and that my interest was piqued enough to look for other books in the series.

If you're in the mood for a mystery in which observation rules over science, read Anne Holt's 1222.

1222 at Amazon.

1222 at The Book Depository.

1222 at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

The Innocent by Taylor Stevens

Title: The Innocent
Author: Taylor Stevens
ISBN:  9780307717122
Publisher: Crown, 2011
Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Thriller, #2 Vanessa Michael Munroe
Rating: B+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: She moved in a crouch, blade between her teeth, all four limbs connected to the earth; cocked her head, listened, and then continued on again, through the undergrowth and past the body at her bare feet.

Once again Vanessa Michael Munroe has been asked to do the impossible. Hannah had been rescued from a religious cult called The Chosen once, but eight years ago, the five-year-old child was stolen back. For eight years a group of former childhood members of The Chosen have searched for Hannah, and now they've found her. The members of this group were raised within the cult, and they all escaped to make lives for themselves on the outside. Knowing what must be faced, they know that the only person they can trust to bring Hannah back and get her out of Argentina is Munroe.

Munroe is already on the edge of a breakdown. Horrendous nightmares have her self-medicating in order to get some sort of uninterrupted sleep. Those who know her best doubt that she should even attempt this rescue, but Munroe knows that she's the only hope this young girl has of a normal life. There's no way the group can pay the expenses of this operation, but that doesn't stop Vanessa Michael Munroe. She's known for a long time that there are many things on this earth more important than money.

Once again, Taylor Stevens delivers a lightning-paced thriller that doesn't stop. The story reads like an insider's view of life in a cult, and it should because the author grew up within one herself, but Stevens never lets herself become preachy or self-indulgent. Her take-no-prisoners main character sees to that.

Stevens' use of language-- in particular her use of verbs-- conveys the message that Vanessa Michael Munroe does not think like other people. Munroe's wired differently, and she is totally unpredictable. Combine such a character with an adrenaline-charged plot and an insider's-type view of the setting, and you've got a book that's almost impossible to put down.

If you like strong, intelligent, kick-ass heroines, you just have to meet Vanessa Michael Munroe!

The Innocent at Amazon.

The Innocent at The Book Depository.

The Innocent at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

Scene of the Blog Featuring Christina of The Ardent Reader!

This week's featured book blogger travels quite a bit. No, she's not a pampered jet setter, she's a college student whose home is in Montana and whose university is in Massachusetts. Christina is working on a double major in Economics and Geography (specifically Geographic Information Systems), and if she'd had time for a third major, it would have been History.

When Christina has a moment or two, she updates her blog, The Ardent Reader. To quote her:

I’m always open for book recommendations, but I read what interests me. And whether that be the classics, YA fiction, one off the bestsellers list, or the latest steamy romance, I pick the books I read based on my interests. So if my current interest is the Russian Revolution, science fiction, or Amish culture, be prepared for quite a few books on the subject.

Christina doesn't spend much time talking about the technical side or the mechanics of the books she reads. The Ardent Reader is about her interactions with books-- her feelings, her reactions, her understandings. She reads a very eclectic mix of books, and I enjoy reading what she has to say. I hope you take the time to visit her blog and say hello. You just might find yourself subscribing to The Ardent Reader, just as I did!

If you're visiting from Christina's blog, Welcome! I hope you enjoy this glimpse into her creative spaces. If you'd like to see any of the photos in larger sizes, all you have to do is click on them and they'll open in a new window. (You can also check out other book bloggers' spaces by clicking on the Scene of the Blog tab at the very top of my header.)

Enough chatter! Christina's been waiting to take us on a tour, so let's not keep her waiting any longer!

Because I spend roughly half of the year in New England for university and the other half in Montana, I have two separate locations where I blog and read.

Christina in Montana

 

This picture is how my room at home looked when I arrived there last May. Pardon the mess! My family had actually just moved into the house. Normally, my suitcases are put away, the pile of papers to sort through on my desk and dresser is much smaller, and my bulletin board is hung up. Promise.

Those two bookshelves house all but a few of my books. Those on the left are ones I’ve read; those on the right are books I read before I started blogging or are TBRs. The desk is kind of small for me now so I do most of my blogging and reading in the black chair from Ikea to the right. (My collection of American Girl dolls actually live on the top of my bookcases.)

Christina's Montana view

The chair is my favorite place to sit in read because it’s a comfortable, quiet place away from the television and the view out my window is quite beautiful.

[You're definitely going to want to enlarge this one for that view!]

Christina in Massachusetts

When I’m at university, I do most of my blogging at the desk in my room. The desk isn’t much to look at so I always try to liven it up with reusable stickers. Where I read depends largely on what I’m reading. If I’m reading something for class, I will usually do it at my desk or in the library. I will normally read in bed if the book is for pleasure reading.

Christina's view from the library

Unfortunately, the view out my dorm room isn’t much to look at. I see the main road through the city, the backs of a couple of buildings, and a big parking lot. The view from the library is much more interesting.

I love both your views, Christina! Best of luck with your studies, and I'll keep track of what you've been reading on your blog!

Don't forget to stop by next Wednesday when I'll feature another book blogger from our worldwide community!

A Long Way from Home on This Wordless Wednesday

Click to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona, to be exact. 

Not the normal territory of a doubledecker bus!

A Vine in the Blood by Leighton Gage

Title: A Vine in the Blood
Author: Leighton Gage
ISBN: 9781616950040
Publisher: Soho Crime, 2011
Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #5 Chief Inspector Mario Silva mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Author

First Line: Less than an hour after Juraci Santos was unceremoniously dumped into the back seat of her kidnappers' getaway car, Luca Vaz crept through her front gate and poisoned her bougainvilleas.

The kidnapping of this woman constitutes a national emergency. You see, it's the eve of the FIFA World Cup, and Brazil is the host country. Brazil is assured of a victory due to the skill of Tico "The Artist" Santos, and since the entire country is football (soccer) mad, the level of celebration will be beyond imagining. However... Juraci Santos is The Artist's mother, and her kidnapping insures that The Artist is out of the game.

Since this is such a serious matter, Chief Inspector Mario Silva and his team are called upon to save the day (and the victory).  There is no lack of suspects, and each one must be questioned carefully, doublechecking motives, opportunity, and alibis. Are the kidnappers supporters of arch rival Argentina's team? The Artist's gold-digging girlfriend whom his mother hated? His main rival in Brazil? The man whose career Tico Santos destroyed? Or someone completely different?

I think I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this book. I love the camaraderie of Silva's team, how they work together and tease each other, and that was sorely missing in the last book of the series, Every Bitter Thing. (This camaraderie reminds me a bit of that enjoyed by Inspector Montalbano's team in Andrea Camilleri's excellent series.) Part and parcel of how this team works together is the skill with which Silva dangles just the right carrot in front of his burro-ish bureaucrat of a boss. The interaction of these characters is one of the things that makes this series so special.

Investigating each of the suspects turns out to be a marvelous guided tour of life in present-day Brazil, from the high to the low. It's also where Gage neatly disguises his excellent bit of misdirection. Whether I like it or not, I sometimes think I have a bit of the Eye of Sauron in me as I read crime fiction. My "eye" passes over each character until it suddenly stops, staring intently at The One Who Did It. In A Vine in the Blood, my eye was hoodwinked, and I liked that very much.

Whether it's characterization, plot or setting, A Vine in the Blood is possibly the best book in this series. If you have yet to sample it, fear not. This book stands on its own very well. My personal recommendation would be to read the entire series. Each book is a window into a fascinating country.

A Vine in the Blood at Amazon.

A Vine in the Blood at The Book Depository.

A Vine in the Blood at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

What Company Should You Work For?

You Should Work for Google

You are a bit of a showoff. You're used to being the smartest person in the room. You are flexible and adaptable. You adjust easily to life's changes, as drastic as they may be. You are talented at presentation. You definitely don't have a fear of public speaking. You prefer to be with others whenever possible. You lack energy when you're alone.

What Company Should You Work For?

This ain't me. I hate public speaking, and I tend to be a solitary soul!

Scene of the Crime with Author Elly Griffiths!

I fell in love with the character of Dr. Ruth Galloway as I read Elly Griffiths' first book, The Crossing Places. Ruth practically lives and breathes her profession (forensic archaeology) and enjoys the solitude of living in a small cottage on the Saltmarsh in Norfolk, England. The words "Choo", "Blahnik", and "Prada" may as well be the names of satellites in space as far as she's concerned, and for an intelligent woman, she's prone to make a mistake or two-- probably because living alone can make any person vulnerable from time to time.

Ruth also has an interesting group of friends that includes a Druid named Cathbad, and she's solved a crime or two with the help of Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson. Part of the attraction in reading these books is watching Nelson-- a man married to a beautiful woman familiar with Choo and Blahnik-- become more and more fascinated with a woman like Ruth.

As soon as I finish one Ruth Galloway book, I'm dying to start the next, so you can bet I was thrilled when Elly Griffiths, the creator of one of my favorite characters, said yes to my request for an interview.

Elly Griffiths

Here are a few links if you'd like to learn more about Elly and her books:

Elly Griffiths' website

Elly Griffiths on Twitter

Elly Griffiths on Facebook

Elly Griffiths' books

Let's get started with the good stuff, shall we?

What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

Alice in Wonderland. I remember lying under the table all day reading it when I was about five. It was a revelation to me that you could just spend all day reading and I still can’t think of a better way of spending time. I loved the weirdness of Alice, curiouser and curiouser, getting bigger and smaller, playing cards painting rose trees. I know Alice in Wonderland has been a big influence on my writing and it’s no coincidence that it’s also Cathbad’s favourite book.

Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

I love to swim in the sea. I usually swim from April to September but I’d really like to swim all year round. My mum was one of a group of hardy elderly women who swam all through the year and it’s my ambition to be like them. I have even bought a flowery bathing cap...

If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

Rottingdean

There is so much to see and do in Brighton that you would be spoilt for choice! I would recommend shopping in the North Laines – much less gentrified than the better-known Laines – and rock-pooling at Rottingdean. Rottingdean also has a lovely village green, an interesting old museum and an abundance of tea shops.

You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Catherine Tate

Catherine Tate. I’m assuming it will be a comedy! Actually, Catherine Tate is a terrific serious actress too.

Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

I think Matthew Shardlake from CJ Sansom’s Tudor novels. He’s such a likeable, believable character.

Name one book that you've read that you wish you had written. What is it about that book that made it come to mind?

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It has everything – wonderful heroine, terrific story and the best villain in English fiction. And it’s long – I’d love to write a really long book.

What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore? How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published?

My first four books were written under my own name, Domenica de Rosa, and, though I know they were published, I never saw them for sale anywhere! My first book The Italian Quarter was loosely based on my dad’s life and, when I saw it, I was terrified. I hadn’t told my family that I’d written it and I was afraid that they wouldn’t approve. And I was right - they didn’t.


I don't know if you've seen it, but I love Parnell Hall's video about book signings. What is the most unusual experience you've had at a book signing or author event?

I was doing a talk at King’s Lynn library when the police burst in. I thought it was Nelson and Co for a moment. Apparently they had been having some trouble with local youths but it’s a beautiful library and they made me feel really welcome.


The way some people talk, the only way to read now or in the future is with some sort of electronic device, like my husband's Nook. What is your opinion of eBooks, and how will they affect you as a published author?

I don’t have an eReader myself but I can see the attraction. I’m always terrified of running out of books on holiday, for example, and a Kindle would solve that problem. My theory is that printed books will fight back by becoming more of an artefact in themselves, more beautiful and ornate, maybe with illustrations. After all, Dickens’ books were illustrated. Why shouldn’t adult books be illustrated? Imagine the buzz of, say, a new book by Martin Amis illustrated by Damian Hirst....

On Sale in the US January 10!

Elly, I have to admit that I was able to obtain an advance reader's copy of The House at Sea's End, and-- once again-- I'm eagerly awaiting your next book. Thanks to you, I know that the fourth Dr. Ruth Galloway book is titled A Room Full of Bones, and it will be available in the UK on January 5. In fact, Amazon UK says they have it in stock now!

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to get to know you a little better. May your book sales do nothing but increase!

Merry Christmas!

A Long Winter's Nap by Tom Newsom

Christmas 2011 at the Barlows-- in the Dark of Night

I've been doing a bit too much of what you see to the right, so in lieu of a Celebrating Mysteries post, I'm going to share my Christmas decorations with you. I know, I've already done it, but this time you'll be able to see what everything looks like at night.

You see, I want everything to look good during the daylight hours, but a special part of Christmas for me has always been seeing everything at night. There's just something magical about Christmas decorations at night. I love the play of light and shadows, and reflections... even if they're "only" light gleaming on the spines of books. Some of this light play has been done intentionally, but several instances have been pure serendipity, and I love that.

I've been asked over the years why I do it. Why do I go to so much trouble? It's not like I have a huge family or conduct an open house. To some people, this just doesn't make sense. Fortunately, it only has to make sense to me. I've been very fortunate in that many cherished family members and friends have given me decorations over the years. Most of them have been handmade. Using the gifts these very special people have given me makes them all a part of my celebration.

I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. Click on the photos if you'd like to see them in larger sizes in new windows. I will number them so if you have any questions about any of them, you can refer to the photo number in your comments.

Happy Holidays!

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#22 My very own elf!