For this week’s Tune in Tuesday, I’ve picked a song that I think captures the essence of ’90s music in all its grungy, alternative glory. Also, I am totally adoring the music video and its spoof of those hilarious Mentos commercials (“Mentos: The Freshmaker!”). And I do like the Foo Fighters…it’s nice that some of our nostalgic ’90s bands are still around, no? Here they are with “Big Me,” which was (according to Wikipedia) nominated for five VMAs in 1996. I feel very old now.
Bookish Secret Santa
So the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish are once again hosting a bookish Secret Santa!
Click here for info on how to participate. And don’t forget that the cutoff deadline for participation is November 17, which is TOMORROW, so get moving on this TODAY if you’re interested!
Review: The Last Enchantment
Mary Stewart, The Last Enchantment
This third book in Stewart’s Merlin saga picks up right where The Hollow Hills left off: Arthur has just been crowned High King of Britain, and now he must confront the various threats to his kingdom. He immediately engages in battle with the Saxons and attains victory after victory, but the more serious dangers to Arthur’s kingship come from within. First, Morgause has managed to hide away Mordred, the son she conceived during her incestuous liaison with Arthur, who will ultimately be Arthur’s doom. There’s also the necessity of ensuring the succession, which means Arthur must find a bride. And finally, some of the northern kings are chafing under Arthur’s rule, so he faces internal rebellions as well as external threats. Through all of this, Merlin remains by Arthur’s side to give him advice, friendship, and the occasional prophecy.
My biggest feeling on finishing this book is one of relief — I’m finally done with this trilogy! (Yes, there is a fourth book, The Wicked Day, but I don’t own that one and have no intention of reading it.) It’s not badly written at all, but it moves so slowly that I couldn’t wait to be done! I think the pitfall of telling Arthur’s story from Merlin’s point of view is that (at least in this version of events) Merlin likes to go off by himself to read or tend his garden or visit foreign lands, so he’s not by Arthur’s side during all the interesting parts. There’s almost nothing in this book about Arthur’s knights, or his relationship with Guinevere, or most of the famous legends of Camelot. In short, I found this book — and the series as a whole — pretty boring, although maybe Arthur enthusiasts would enjoy it more. Personally, it’s not something I ever need to read again.
Tune in Tuesday with Katelyn: I felt so symbolic yesterday
So I actually had a different song all picked out for this week’s Tune in Tuesday…but then this song came on the radio earlier today, and I knew I had to change my plans. It’s a song that immediately makes me smile whenever I hear it, although the lyrics are actually quite sad. It’s also a song that has aged really well, I think. Even though it came out 20 years ago (which is horrifying but true — the album August and Everything After came out in 1993!), everyone knows it, and it’s still played on the radio all the time. In short, it’s a classic! So without further ado, here’s Counting Crows with “Mr. Jones”:
2014 Monthly Motifs Challenge Sign-up
What do you know, I found another 2014 challenge that looks like fun! This one’s called the Monthly Motifs Challenge, hosted by Bookmark to Blog:
The challenge host has picked a different theme for each month, and the goal is to read at least one book per month that fits that month’s theme. Here are the motifs (taken verbatim from the challenge sign-up post):
Jan- Around the World
Choose a book to read that takes place in a country different than the one you live in or choose a book written by an author that is from a country different than your own.
Feb- Award Winner
Read a book that has won recognition or a literary award. Here’s a list of literary awards to help you get started on your search: Literary Awards.
Mar- Fairy tales or Fairy Creatures
Read a fairy tale retelling or a book with fey/fairies in it.
Apr- Short & Sweet
Read a collection of short stories or anthologies.
May- Mystery, Murder, & Mayhem
Read a murder/mystery book, a book in which someone dies of mysterious causes, or a book in which a mystery must be solved.
June- A Long Journey
Read a book in which the character(s) take a trip, go on a quest, or find themselves on a journey toward something, etc.
July- Assassins, Warriors, & Rebels
Read a book in which the main character is one of these things or fights against one of these things.
Aug- Alternate Reality
Read a book that’s set in the future, on another planet, in another dimension, or in an unknown world. A Dystopian book will count this month as well.
Sep- Book to Movie
Read a book that has a movie based off of it. For an extra challenge, see the movie as well.
Oct- The Witching Hour
There’s been a lot of zombies lately, but this year include a ‘witchy’ book in your scary reads- a book about a witch or a book that has witches in it.
Nov- An Oldie but a Goodie
Pick a book published before 2000 that you’ve always wanted to read, but just never got to. Or pick a book set in the past (before 2000).
Dec- That’s a Wrap
Finish a series you’ve been meaning to finish or read the next book in a series you started but never finished.
I’ve definitely got some ideas for most (if not all) of these motifs already! If you’re interested, go here to get more info and sign up!
2014 TBR Pile Challenge Sign-up
As someone whose TBR pile is out of control, I think the 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge will be not only fun, but necessary!
The basic idea is to read books that have been sitting on your shelves unread for a while. Pretty much everything counts, as long as it’s something you owned before January 1, 2014. There are many levels for this challenge, and I’m going to aim for “First Kiss,” which entails reading 21-30 books from my TBR shelves. It looks like there will be monthly discussion posts and an opportunity to win prizes, so click here for more information and to sign up!
Vintage Mystery Bingo Sign-up
Once again, it’s that special time of year…time to sign up for next year’s reading challenges! And my first pick for 2014 is one of my favorites, the vintage mystery challenge hosted by Bev at My Reader’s Block.
Every year, the basic idea is the same: Read a bunch of vintage mysteries, with “vintage” being defined as anything published before 1960. But every year, Bev spices things up a bit with some sort of interesting twist on the theme. This year, challenge participants will be playing BINGO on either the Golden Age card, the Silver Age card, or both! Click here to see the cards, get more information about the challenge, and sign up!
I’m going to commit to a fairly simple challenge: one straight-line BINGO (either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) on the Golden Age card.
It will be a challenge, but I’ve got a lot of vintage mysteries on the TBR list for 2014! I know I’ll be starting off the year with Rex Stout’s Fer-de-Lance, which could work for a number of spaces. Beyond that, I’ll just have to see how it goes!
What’s in a Name 6 Challenge Wrap-up
I’ve completed the What’s in a Name 6 Challenge at Beth Fish Reads!
The goal was to read 6 books, one in each of the categories below. Here’s what I read:
- Up or down (or equivalent): Niccolò RISING by Dorothy Dunnett
- Something you’d find in your kitchen: The CRYSTAL Cave by Mary Stewart — I was thinking fancy crystal glassware here
- Party or celebration: The WEDDING of Zein by Tayeb Salih
- Fire (or equivalent): FIRE and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
- Emotion: LONESOME Dove by Larry McMurtry
- Lost or found (or equivalent): They FOUND Him Dead by Georgette Heyer
My favorite read for this challenge was probably Fire and Hemlock, although Lonesome Dove and The Wedding of Zein were also very good. On the other hand, I couldn’t stand Niccolò Rising! But I like this challenge because it’s completely based on titles rather than content, which is pretty unique among reading challenges. Hopefully it will continue next year, in which case I’ll most likely sign up!
2013 Vintage Mysteries Challenge Wrap-up
I recently completed the annual Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge at My Reader’s Block! The general goal is to read mysteries published before 1960, and this year’s twist was to fit them within certain pre-arranged categories, à la Scattergories.
Here’s what I read, along with a brief explanation of why each book fits within its specified category:
- World Traveler: Patricia Moyes, Dead Men Don’t Ski — Set in the Italian Alps.
- Repeat Offenders: Georgette Heyer, Death in the Stocks — Because I love me some Heyer!
- Murderous Methods: Anthony Berkeley, The Poisoned Chocolates Case — Makes me think twice about eating food I get in the mail…
- Staging the Crime: Michael Innes, Hamlet, Revenge! — An amateur performance of Hamlet turns deadly.
- Country House Criminals: Georgette Heyer, Behold, Here’s Poison — I love a good English country house murder!
- Murder Is Academic: Isaac Asimov, A Whiff of Death — Chemistry professors and their murderous impulses.
- Yankee Doodle Dandy: Ellery Queen, The Roman Hat Mystery — New York, New York, it’s a hell of a town.
- Malicious Men: Georgette Heyer, They Found Him Dead — Only male victims in this one!
I really enjoyed my reading for this challenge! The Roman Hat Mystery was probably my least favorite read, but I still liked it — and The Poisoned Chocolates Case in particular was absolutely wonderful! Can’t wait to sign up for the 2014 Vintage Mystery Challenge…you’ll probably be seeing that post in the next day or two! 🙂
Review: They Found Him Dead
Georgette Heyer, They Found Him Dead
This book begins, as so many classic British mysteries do, with an ill-fated party at an English country house. Silas Kane is celebrating his 60th birthday, but many of his guests aren’t in a particularly happy mood. His heir, Clement, is desperate to get his hands on a piece of the older man’s fortune — especially because his beautiful but materialistic wife, Rosemary, is threatening to leave him. Meanwhile, Silas’ neighbor and business partner is eager to interest him in an investment opportunity, but so far he has stubbornly refused to consider the deal. So when Silas is discovered dead the day after the party — having apparently fallen over the cliff where he habitually took a walk every evening — there is no shortage of suspects to consider. And when Clement is shot in the study shortly afterwards, it seems clear that a murderer is at work. Once again, Inspector Hannasyde of Scotland Yard must untangle the various motives in play and discover the identity of a ruthless killer.
I’ve been steadily working my way through Heyer’s mysteries, and this book is a typical example. I always enjoy Heyer’s witty dialogue and hints of romance, although in this book the love story is very peripheral to the main plot. The mystery itself is fine, though there’s nothing particularly surprising for those who read a lot of detective novels. As always, the strength of Heyer’s books is her characters, and there several great ones here, from the self-absorbed Rosemary Kane to the exuberant young Timothy Harte, who is overly eager to assist the police in solving the murder. I should note, however, that while Inspector Hannasyde is a recurring character in Heyer’s mysteries, he is definitely not the protagonist; each individual book tends to revolve around the victim and the suspects much more than around the detective. Anyway, I definitely liked this book overall, but there’s nothing that makes it particularly stand out to me.
You Book Me All Night Long 