Reading the Detectives discussion

Hi! I'm Dan. I'm really happy to have found your group tonight, but I'm a little bummed as well, since I've wanted to read the Roderick Alleyn books for awhile and you're already so deep into them. I suppose I can catch up later. I think I'll try to finish the year with you by reading the other monthly books for November & December.

I'm a fan of detective fiction and I suppose Poirot is my favorite detective. Maybe. My favorite book is "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins which I re-read every year or so. And I re-read "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" every year as well. (Each chapter is a day starting on December 22nd and ending on the 28th, IIRC. I find it fun to read a chapter on the corresponding day. 😊)

Right now I'm reading the Lord Peter Wimsey books, but I'm also in the middle of the new Penguin translations of Maigret as well. I have some great big holes in my detective fiction reading, including Miss Marple and Ngaio Marsh! I should have discovered your group last year and remedied this! Aiaiai.

Anyways, sorry for the rambling. This post should count towards your reading goal! I look forward to the books and the discussion!

Welcome, Dan, glad you found us! Sorry you missed the start of the Alleyn challenge, but we will be continuing it next year, so there are still plenty of books to join in on. :)

The threads from our Wimsey and Miss Marple challenges are still open, so if you want to post in them about any of the books you read I'm sure you will get some responses.

I've just read a couple of the new Penguin translations of Maigret so far and enjoyed them.

Again, welcome! :)

Ohh thanks Judy! Maybe I should start plowing through the Alleyn books to catch up to everyone... I'm not a very fast reader however, so it will take me some time, but I think it would be worth it.

I actually found your group through the Wimsey book I finished today. Someone mentioned it in a review! ❤ And I've been spending the last half hour reading everyone's reactions to the books. 🙂

I like the Maigrets too, but to be honest, sometimes I need to take a break from him. He's just not very fun. I like a fun, light-hearted detective like Wimsey.

Hi Dan - we're glad you found us. I recently read The Snow Was Dirty by Simenon and that was certainly not really 'fun' :)

As Judy said, all our threads remain open and there are LOADS of great books to join in with, so we look forward to your thoughts. Welcome to the group.

Gracias, Susan! Thanks for the kind welcome.

Haha! I like those books, but Simenon could have given us a few jokes and whatnot every now and then. 😄 If you haven't seen the new-ish Maigret mini-series with Rowan Atkinson, you should give them a watch. I thought they were quite good!

P.S. Speaking of those books, I adore the name Janvier. I need to get a pet so I can name him Janvier.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The link to this thread will show you all our current, and upcoming, books. If you, or any other of our new members, have any questions , please don't hesitate to ask.

Hello. I am a huge mystery fan and started reading everything from Nancy Drew (my younger years), Perry Mason, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, and on until recently when I discovered British Library Crime Classic and all other British mystery authors such as R Austin Freeman, Dorothy Sayers, PD James, Margery Allingham and on! Looking forward to great discussions in this forum.

The British Library Crime Classics have done us quite a favor reprinting so many Golden Age mysteries.

Dan wrote: "I like a fun, light-hearted detective like Wimsey."

You might try Lawrence Block. I haven't tried his Matthew Scudder series, but his Bernie Rhodenbarr has definite comic overtones. Bernie runs a used bookstore as a front for his burglary business. It's on his burglaries that he finds a corpse and must solve the murder to prevent himself being charged as the culprit.

Dan wrote: "Hi! I'm Dan. I'm really happy to have found your group tonight, but I'm a little bummed as well, since I've wanted to read the Roderick Alleyn books for awhile and you're already so deep into them...."

Hi Dan, Welcome!

I love the idea of re-reading Hercule Poirot's Christmas on the corresponding days!

Welcome aboard, Agnesh! That's a fantastic list of favourite authors. Glad you found us.

Welcome to the group, Agnesh :)

Agnesh wrote: "Hello. I am a huge mystery fan and started reading everything from Nancy Drew (my younger years), Perry Mason, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, and on until recently when I discovere..."

Welcome, Agnesh!

I like a lot of the authors that you listed.

Dan wrote: "Ohh thanks Judy! Maybe I should start plowing through the Alleyn books to catch up to everyone... I'm not a very fast reader however, so it will take me some time, but I think it would be worth it...."

I'm way behind in the Alleyn series (and in almost every other series that we're reading).

You and me are a couple of slackers, Jan! 😄

I'm getting ready to tackle the Alleyns soon. I had the first few in storage (sadly unread) so I got them out, and then I ordered a handful of others this afternoon. As if I needed an excuse to buy books... I'm now ready to start playing catch-up.

P.S. Thanks to everyone for the friendly welcome! 🤗

Reading is never about catching up, so nobody should worry. If anyone wants to join in with group reads, they remain open and, if any of us discover some 'new' authors along that way, then that's really what book groups are about. That, and, of course, the chance to discuss bookish matters, such as what we are reading now, want to read and should be reading ;)

Hi everyone! I'm Rachel and I'm a relatively new mystery fan. I read quite a lot of them as a child, but it's only in the last few years that I've really been getting back into them.

My favourite vintage mystery authors are Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie and Patricia Wentworth; more recent authors I have enjoyed include Ellis Peters, Lindsey Davis and Elizabeth Edmondson. Fortunately some of these were quite prolific, so I don't have a shortage of mysteries to read - but I'm always up for discovering new authors too! I'm currently reading The Big Sleep, which is my first Raymond Chandler, and am enjoying it so far.

Hi Rachel, glad you found us! Welcome to the group. You have a good list of favourites and I am sure we can add to them :)

Hi Rachel, good to meet you. Some great favourite authors there - glad you have joined us.

Rachel wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Rachel and I'm a relatively new mystery fan. I read quite a lot of them as a child, but it's only in the last few years that I've really been getting back into them.

My favourite ..."

Hi, Rachel! You are already finding some good authors! I just discovered Elizabeth Edmondson and was about to ask if anyone was reading her work. I read the last trilogy of books she wrote, the final one finished by her son. I enjoyed them very much. I like the plots, setting, and characters, but wish they'd had a bit more editing. They were not quite as polished as they could have been.

Rachel wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Rachel and I'm a relatively new mystery fan. I read quite a lot of them as a child, but it's only in the last few years that I've really been getting back into them.

My favourite ..."

Welcome Rachel. I've discovered Lindsey Davis recently and am avidly reading her Falco series.

Hi! I'm looking forward reading some good detective stories. Since its now already november I wait eagerly for next years challenge.

Hi Ann-Marie. Welcome to the group. We look forward to your reading along with us :)

Hi Anne-Marie, welcome! For next year's challenge we are continuing to read the Inspector Alleyn series by Ngaio Marsh, but we will also have lots of other great books and authors to choose from.

Hi, I’m Susan from N.C., and mysteries, especially from the British Golden Age, are one of my favorite genres. I’m looking forward to reading along with this group when I can get the books!

Hi Susan, welcome!

Thank you!

Hi Susan, I'm near Asheville.

Welcome, Susan. Glad you’ve joined us.

Susan in NC wrote: "Hi, I’m Susan from N.C., and mysteries, especially from the British Golden Age, are one of my favorite genres. I’m looking forward to reading along with this group when I can get the books!"

Hi Susan! *waves*

Good to have you join us Susan.

Critterbee❇ wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Hi, I’m Susan from N.C., and mysteries, especially from the British Golden Age, are one of my favorite genres. I’m looking forward to reading along with this group when I can ge..."

Hey, Critterbee, good to see you!

Jan C wrote: "Hi Susan, I'm near Asheville."

Hey Jan, I’m in Greensboro! Are you as cold up there as we are? Just got back from our afternoon walk - yikes, it’s cold out there, in the 30s!🥶

Judy wrote: "Welcome, Susan. Glad you’ve joined us."

Thank you, I’ve heard about this group in other groups and have lurked to get reading ideas - decided to join for the new year!

Sandy wrote: "Good to have you join us Susan."

Hey, Sandy! Thank you.

Susan in NC wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Hi Susan, I'm near Asheville."

Hey Jan, I’m in Greensboro! Are you as cold up there as we are? Just got back from our afternoon walk - yikes, it’s cold out there, in the 30s!🥶"

About like that today. It might have got into the 40s. Then it decided to rain.

Jan C wrote: "It might have got into the 40s. Then it decided to rain. "

That's our normal weather this time of year.

Jan C wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Hi Susan, I'm near Asheville."

Hey Jan, I’m in Greensboro! Are you as cold up there as we are? Just got back from our afternoon walk - yikes, it’s cold out there,..."

Oh, sorry, that’s rather dreary! Supposed to be cold and rainy here tomorrow night, I believe.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Jan C wrote: "It might have got into the 40s. Then it decided to rain. "

That's our normal weather this time of year."

Really? See, I just thought Alaska=snow!

Susan in NC wrote: "Really? See, I just thought Alaska=snow! "

It's snowing up north and very cold north of the arctic circle this time of year. But I'm at the southernmost tip of the Alaska panhandle and about the same latitude as Edinburgh, Scotland. Still north of you, but not the frozen north.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Really? See, I just thought Alaska=snow! "

It's snowing up north and very cold north of the arctic circle this time of year. But I'm at the southernmost tip of the Alaska panha..."
Oh, okay, thanks - I’ve learned something new - always welcome!

Rain is pretty much the normal weather in western North Carolina, at least since I moved here about 4 years ago. A winter hazard (rain and freezing temps) but 60 tomorrow.

Jan C wrote: "Rain is pretty much the normal weather in western North Carolina, at least since I moved here about 4 years ago. A winter hazard (rain and freezing temps) but 60 tomorrow."

Good! I hope you have a lovely Saturday. We’re looking at icy rain early, then warming a bit (fingers crossed).

Hi Susan, welcome to the group. I'm Susan from London and it's pretty dull and dismal here at the moment :)

Never been lucky enough to see your beautiful city, but as an Anglophile I refuse to believe it could be dismal and dull! But if you mean weather-wise, I know enough to believe you - late fall and winter in your part of the world is often wet and cold, yes?

Jan C wrote: "Rain is pretty much the normal weather in western North Carolina, at least since I moved here about 4 years ago. A winter hazard (rain and freezing temps) but 60 tomorrow."

Southeast Alaska is temperate rainforest. Ketchikan is one of the rainiest places in north America, with an average annual rainfall exceeding 150 inches.

I used to think it was cold here in winter, until I visited Copenhagen, Susan. Brrr! However, yes, it is getting dark here (it's 3:15 in the afternoon) and, obviously, raining!

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Rain is pretty much the normal weather in western North Carolina, at least since I moved here about 4 years ago. A winter hazard (rain and freezing temps) but 60 tomorrow."

Southeast..."

That is so cool - well, you’re probably sick of it - but I didn’t know! My husband and I stopped for lunch years ago at a place in Boone, N.C., and it was raining cats and dogs. Our delightful waitress told us, “little know fact, Boone is in a rainforest- the tourism folks don’t talk about it, but it is!”

Susan wrote: "I used to think it was cold here in winter, until I visited Copenhagen, Susan. Brrr! However, yes, it is getting dark here (it's 3:15 in the afternoon) and, obviously, raining!"

I bet...oh, and I added the N.C. to my tag in another group, so I wouldn’t be confused with another Susan in the group from Scotland. Never meet other Susans, then I join GR and find they are all here, hanging out and reading!

I remember a conversation about weather breaking out earlier. Maybe it's just that avid readers live in places where the weather gives us more opportunity!