Book Recommendations

[c.d.]

Just finished "Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend" by Gary Roberts. It's available on amazon.com. I liked it. It is kind of long and tells you a lot more than you probably wanted to know but I simply skipped over those parts that were less than interesting. For anyone interested in Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and his brothers, the famous shootout at the OK corrall or the Old West in General, I recommend the book.

An interesting fact -- Margaret Mitchell, the author of "Gone With the Wind" stated that she based the character Melanie Wilkes (Ashley Willke's wife played by Olivia DeHavilland) on Doc's first cousin. It has long been rumored that he had a romantic relationship with her. She decided to become a nun. Some have speculated that it was this decision that made Doc abandon a promising dental career and move out West to become a gambler. Basically a broken heart.

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[c.d.]

I just re-read "Green Eggs and Ham" by the Great Doctor. It was every bit as challanging as I remembered it to be years ago.

You can't go wrong with the Classics.

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[Scott Nelson]

I just re-read "Green Eggs and Ham" by the Great Doctor. It was every bit as challanging as I remembered it to be years ago.

[c.d.]

"The Girl Who Played With Fire", the second book in the Millenium Trilogy. It was good, even better than the Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, the first book (and now a movie) in the Trilogy.

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[DVV]

Peter Tremayne, The Leper's Bell, 2004.
Murders in 7th century Ireland.

[c.d.]

I just finished "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. The book is excellent and has been on the best seller list here in the U.S. for some time. It also has over 2,000 reviews on amazon.com. It tells the story of black maids in Mississippi in 1962 at the start of the Civil Rights movement and contrasts their lives with those of the white families for whom they work. That doesn't sound like much of a plot but trust me on this one. It is one of those books where you start getting depressed because you know that you are getting close to finishing it. It is that good.

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[c.d.]

Just finished "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" by Steig Larsson, the first book in a trilogy. Very good murder mystery with a lot of subplots. Enjoyed it a lot. It has over 1,000 reviews on amazon.com.

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[DVV]

One book I highly recommend is "Free Leslie Van Houten" by one DVV.
It makes you feel better, some say.

[Celesta]

Hi David,

Yeah, you could say that. Actually, I have no idea if she's still alive or still writing.

[DVV]

Hi again Cel,

no, I don't know Elizabeth Hand...I'll have to google a bit...

Another wicked pretty girl, like Mo ?

Amitiés,
David

[Celesta]

Hi David,

I knew "mystery" wasn't quite the word I wanted but couldn't think of a more descriptive one at the time. It's a fantasy-mystery. The atmosphere reminded me of Apocalypse Now. It had a "now entering Hell" quality to it. I definitely want to read more of her books, so "Tokyo" it is, I guess. I've picked up The Devil of Nanking a number of times but wasn't sure and put it back. Thank you, David.

Are you familiar with Elizabeth Hand, by any chance?

[DVV]

Hi Cel,

I perfectly understand what you mean re Pig Island, I even feel the same...and perhaps more.
For not only I like Pig Island, but in fact it's my favourite.
It's also the first I read, and I remember being immediatly caught by her tone and subject.
I agree with you that the "mystery" isn't too much mysterious, except for the fact that its solution is partly fantastic - which, although not fully unexpected or completely new, is quite unusual in such novels.

But is it a "detective", "mystery" or "whodunnit" novel...
It somehow looks so, but is perhaps not.
In Mo Hayder's world, it seems that fantasies do inspire and conduct the story, whereas in detective novels, thrillers, etc, a primary logical sequence of events comes to be filled with obsessions, psychology, gore sections, etc.

I believe "Tokyo", for example, to be Mo's fantasized Japanese memories, rather than a gory/historical thriller.
I like all her books, but imo she should write novels like Pig Island and Tokyo rather than the adventures of Inspector Caffery and Flea Marley.

And if she wants to marry me, I'm free.

Amitiés ma chère,
David

[Celesta]

Hi David,

I saw your rec on Mo Hayder. How do you rank Pig Island with the other books? I liked Pig Island but didn't find it all that difficult to solve the mystery, for lack of a better word.

I'm also reading The Postcard Killer by Vance McLaughlin. It's difficult to tell when McLaughlin is being dramatic and when he's got an actual source to back up his statements. Has anyone read this one?

[DVV]

Susan Atkins, Child of Satan, Child of God

Just read it.
What a crap.
She denied stabbing Sharon Tate.
But surely met Jesus.

[doris]

The last non ripper book I really enjoyed was one that I found in a box of Ripper books that I bought.

It was called fabian of the yard, by a bloke called something fabian.

It was fascinating reading, a slice of early 20th century history with some criminal history from the same era,

doris