English Mysteries Club discussion

@ John and @ Victoria. Many thanks for your kind thoughts, yes Ironbridge was badly affected by the last three storms culminating in excess of 6 and a half metres of floodwater. My previous house was flooded but fortunately for me I moved up the valley sides 7 years ago and so was untouched by the water.

Adrian. Phew! Good.

Diane - me too . Second-hand and charity shops gave me van Gulik and many others.

Allyson wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm thrilled to join this lovely group! Like some of the other members, my love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew then on to the Hardy Boys - two series my ten year-old is avidly..."

It's nice to meet another fan of Keigo Higashino! I discovered him with The Devotion of Suspect X and Salvation of a Saint. I've got Under the Midnight Sun, but haven't read it yet. Have you read Miyuki Miyabe?

Diane wrote: "Hello, everyone. I'm Diane a/k/a Lemon Sky from Texas. I'm a big fan of mysteries and my favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Ellis Peters, John Dickson Carr, Robert van Guli..."

Hey Diane - it's lovely to see you see you! Welcome! I've been missing your posts on GR, and know with your knowledge of mysteries, you have lots to contribute here. So I hope you enjoy the "English Mysteries" group :)

Victoria wrote: "Hello all. I'm Victoria from Kent in SE England. I've been reading mysteries since I was able to read. I worked my way through Enid Blyton and many other children's authors, many now forgotten, and..."

Hi Victoria, and welcome to "English Mysteries"! Another member from England, so I don't feel so alone YAY! I hope you find lots to do here :)

Adrian wrote: "Hi Jean, many thanks for the invite to this group, given my reading genres this is going to be right up street.
I recognise a number of active friends already in this group, but for those who don't..."

Hey Ade, another English member, and this time from the other end of the country. Welcome to "English Mysteries"! I just invited few of my friends who I thought were particularly "mysterious". LOL! I'm so glad you joined us :)

And very, very glad to hear you are not flooded out :(

Victoria wrote: "And although I'm British, I have read some Nancy Drew. My local library had some when I was a child ..."

That's good! Perhaps there are pockets around the country, then.

Hello Jean. Thank you for the invite.

I’m from Adelaide, Australia. Retired with a husband, two daughters and three grandsons. I love reading, watching British mystery series on TV and crafting with fabric and yarn.

I’ve never read a Nancy Drew mystery either. I grew up on a steady diet of Enid Blyton, especially the Secret Seven and Famous Five books.

I love mysteries in general, and at the moment I’m reading the Bill Slider series and as many Scandinavian books as I can find in the library. I’m a sucker for anything set in an English village. I don’t know why other than that it’s so different from Australia!

Susan wrote: "Hello Jean. Thank you for the invite.

I’m from Adelaide, Australia. Retired with a husband, two daughters and three grandsons. I love reading, watching British mystery series on TV and crafting w..."

Welcome to "English Mysteries" Susan. For some reason I thought you were once in this group! But I know it will be just your English cup of tea ;) Join in wherever you like.

Thanks for further confirming that Enid Blyton got all the way to Australia - I thought other Australian friends had told me so :) But then at least one friend (in Sydney) said that she thought you had the best of both worlds, as she grew up with both British and American children's books.

Your friend may be younger than me, haha, most people are. I really can’t remember American books in the 60s, there weren’t even many Australian children’s authors that I can think of.

I do remember reading a lot of books set in English girls boarding schools and thinking how lovely to have midnight feasts and jolly japes. So different from my mundane suburban school.

Susan wrote: "Your friend may be younger than me, haha, ..."

She's in her mid-60s. Talked about the "Little Golden Books" as an example. I cannot get her to join GR though!

All this talk of our English friends never having read Nancy Drew has bummed me out. Lol. So I went and bought some Nancy Drew pencils on Etsy. Thinking about buying Nancy Drew bookends while I’m at it....

Sorry Jean, this is way off topic and my last comment on childhood reading. I visited my mother today and mentioned our discussion. She said ‘what about Laura Ingalls Wilder and L M Montgomery, you loved those books’.

So I owe an apology to the no doubt many North American authors (and their spirits) whose books I devoured and have forgotten about.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Allyson wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm thrilled to join this lovely group! Like some of the other members, my love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew then on to the Hardy Boys - two series my ten ye..."

I don't have a Kindle. Call me old fashioned, but if it is not an audiobook, I'm a die-hard paper fan :) One of these days, I'm going to have to get with the times.

Rita wrote: "What are you doing up at this hour, Jean?..."

I know - it drives Chris spare, especially when it starts getting on for midnight! The trouble is nearly everyone seems to start coming online at what is afternoon for me, and it starts hotting up later :(

Susan wrote: "Sorry Jean, this is way off topic ..."

Not at all Susan! It's always good to put the record straight - and good to learn something which can changes your long-held assumptions too - for all of us :) I am thinking now that my friend may be just over 60 ... not sure.

Allyson wrote: "if it is not an audiobook, I'm a die-hard paper fan :) ..."

Oh that's even easier! I assumed you'd prefer ebooks to audio, just because so many do. But Simon Brett has recorded just about all his books on audio, and he is an excellent reader, because of his radio and theatre background.

There are also BBC radio dramatisations of the Charles Paris (humorous seedy detective) books.

Gardener0126 wrote: "I’m an avid reader, and mysteries are my favorites. I am particularly fond of golden age mysteries, and am pleased to see so many of them being republished. I do read modern mysteries as well, but ..."

Hi Gardener and welcome to "English Mysteries". I'm so sorry for the delay in saying hello!

"I generally find that the golden age authors were just better writers in general"

You know I was mulling this over, and thinking it was contentious - but that I largely agreed with you. Writers like Dorothy L. Sayers were so intelligent, erudite and knowledgeable. But then I began to think of some literary ones today, who stand out from the also-rans. Maybe it is just that the golden age writers we read now, have stood the test of time. Hopefully the future will also have republished today's greats, so that in a hundred years' time people will be able to read the cream of today's crop and the rubbish will have sunk without trace.

Wow - 3-4 books a week is good going!

Susan wrote: "Sorry Jean, this is way off topic and my last comment on childhood reading. I visited my mother today and mentioned our discussion. She said ‘what about Laura Ingalls Wilder and L M Montgomery, you..."

I am so curious. Who is L M Montgomery and what did they write? I tried to pull them up on GR and got Jane Austen.

L. M. Montgomery is Canadian and her most famous book is Anne of Green Gables, which has a number of sequels. Most of her novels are about girls or young women.

Schools in Japan use Anne of Green Gables books to teach English. PEI, Canada gets many Japanese tourists.

I read Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin at around the same time, sitting with my nose in a book, when I still found adults talking boring.

Gosh yes, we are getting off topic! Would anyone else like to introduce themselves?

Rosemarie wrote: "L. M. Montgomery is Canadian and her most famous book is Anne of Green Gables, which has a number of sequels. Most of her novels are about girls or young women."

Thank you.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Marcia wrote: "Thank you for adding me to your wonderful group! I am so happy to be here and join in. My love of reading started as a young girl when I read my first Nancy Drew book. I have been a ..."

My Nancy Drew books were inherited from my mother's library (she's now 87). My grandmother kept them and gave them to me when I was old enough to read them. All hardbound, of course. The books are long gone, having fallen apart from many readings.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Julie wrote: "I used to love a good thriller, but not so much anymore. So many are based on the protagnist acting stupid..."

Hi Julie, it's lovely to meet you! I'm so glad you decided to see what'..."

Louise Penny is a wonderful writer. Although the books have continuity through the numerous characters living in the town, each one is a different kind of story than the last. There isn't a feeling of recycling old plots by changing location, and the characters seem very real, most likely because they are funny and flawed, not taking themselves too seriously. The plots are always serious though, and one never knows who might be seriously hurt (physically, and emotionally) by the end of the tale. Martin Walker is a professional journalist who has spent many years working in Moscow, France, Washington DC and Great Britain. His stories are based on a lovely French village policeman. Once again, his books have a great sense of time and place, with great supporting characters. The plots help to illustrate how the past continues to influence the present, surrounded by the great food and wine of the region.

Julie wrote: "Bionic Jean wrote: "Marcia wrote: "Thank you for adding me to your wonderful group! I am so happy to be here and join in. My love of reading started as a young girl when I read my first Nancy Drew ..."

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Hi, I'm Barbara and I just became aware of this group because I noticed that Rita was a member. I've always been fond of English mysteries, a feeling that was reinforced when we lived in England for a couple of years. Question: Is the focus on a narrow definition of "English", or does it include the rest of the UK?

Robin wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Or Evan Evans, written by an American...?"

Rhys Bowen, the author of the Evan Evans series, was actually born in Bath, Somerset, UK and moved to the US as an adult. I would definite..."

I've never counted up the number of series I'm reading. It might look a lot like my yarn stash: too numerous to count.

Victoria wrote: "Hello all. I'm Victoria from Kent in SE England. I've been reading mysteries since I was able to read. I worked my way through Enid Blyton and many other children's authors, many now forgotten, and..."

You helped me recall another children's series that I adored. Although maybe more adventure than mystery, there was also some kind of intrigue involved. Swallows and Amazon Series. The series might have solidified my love of pirate stories LOL.

Julie:
You helped me recall another children's series that I adored.

Oh, did I? I don't remember! The Big Six is definitely a mystery/detection plot, thought the sailing is also a large part of the story.

Barbara:
Question: Is the focus on a narrow definition of "English", or does it include the rest of the UK?

'English' really shouldn't be used to include all the countries of the UK. The Welsh, the Scots and the Irish aren't happy when that happens.

Then there's the whole issue of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but the Republic of Ireland is an entirely separate, independent country. But that wasn't always the case, and anyone reading classic or historical crime which references Ireland will need to bear in mind that things were different at various times.

Bionic Jean:
Maybe it is just that the golden age writers we read now, have stood the test of time.

Have you seen the British Library Crime Classics series? The BL is republishing a lot of now forgotten Golden Age authors. The covers are very attractive, but having read some of the books, I have to say, one can see why they were forgotten. Agatha Christie really was head and shoulders above most of them and one can see why she was so successful.

Thomas wrote: "Schools in Japan use Anne of Green Gables books to teach English. PEI, Canada gets many Japanese tourists."

That's really interesting Thomas - and unexpected!

Victoria wrote: "'English' really shouldn't be used to include all the countries of the UK. The Welsh, the Scots and the Irish aren't happy when that happens.

Then there's the whole issue of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but the Republic of Ireland is an entirely separate, independent country...."

All absolutely true. The title of this group is a long-standing one, and keeping "English" as a definition is preferable to "British" precisely because the largest group of golden-age mystery writers were English!

As you know, it is simply incorrect to regard the other nations you mention as English - not a matter of who is offended! I am English, and British and European, and human - but most specifically English.

"Have you seen the British Library Crime Classics series?" It's been mentioned here a few times over the last week. But just as with all fiction, just because it's old doesn't make it a classic! There were some truly dreadful Victorian novels around. Many have been forgotten, thank goodness.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Schools in Japan use Anne of Green Gables books to teach English. PEI, Canada gets many Japanese tourists."

That's really interesting Thomas - and unexpected!"

My wife and I hope to visit PEI someday.

Barbara wrote: "Hi, I'm Barbara and I just became aware of this group because I noticed that Rita was a member. I've always been fond of English mysteries, a feeling that was reinforced when we lived in England fo..."

Hi Barbara and welcome to "English Mysteries". I'm so glad you joined us :) It's always nice when you already know someone in a group, isn't it?

If you have read the previous couple of posts about nationality, it may help a bit, although I suspect you knew all that already! There are other authors who write in what has come to be thought of as the English style, of course, and these include other UK nations - as well as other countries! With this in mind I created a special folder for discussion focussing on these authors, which is LINK HERE.

I hope this helps.

Bionic Jean wrote: "If you have read the previous couple of posts about nationality, it may help a bit, although I suspect you knew all that already! There are other authors who write in what has come to be thought of as the English style, of course, and these include other UK nations - as well as other countries! With this in mind I created a special folder for discussion focussing on these authors, which is LINK HERE..."

Yes, Bionic Jean, it does. I'm fully versed on the England Vs. the UK division, having actually lived in England for a few years. The only reason I asked about it was that I didn't want to inadvertently post something about a Scottish crime novel, for instance, and offend anyone.

Thanks for the link to the alternate folder.

Barbara wrote: "I'm fully versed on the England Vs. the UK division, having actually lived in England for a few years ..."

Yes, since you referred to that in your introductory post, I didn't think you'd need any clarification! :) But although this rebooted group has just been up and running for one week, there has been a bit of a buzz about what's "allowed".

I'm hoping we can get past it, to the stage where we are focussed on the sort of mysteries this group was designed to include, and not worry about inadvertently offending anyone! The obvious way to do it seemed to make a separate folder :)

Personally, I may well need to look up the nationality of an author, if they wrote in a classic or traditional style. To me, it's similar to not particularly wanting to know the gender of an author, by the writing itself.

I've checked out that folder, Bionic Jean, and already posted a few comments. Thanks for doing that!

Judging by the choices to vote on for the April read, I'm looking forward to some interesting discussions. :-)

Yes, so I spotted! Great :)

I'm pleased folk are voting already on the poll, and whatever does not win, can always become a buddy read for those who wish it.

Hi, I'm from Sydney, Australia but grew up in Adelaide and love all mysteries. I became hooked after reading Sherlock Holmes as a kid and then Enid Blyton and Trixie Beldon. I also loved Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. Still have all my books from childhood. I've read Agatha Christie many times and have 3 collections of all her books. She would have to be my all time favourite.

Welcome Anastasia! That sounds like a great collection! Enjoy the group!

Welcome, Anastasia! Trixie Belden and Enid Blyton were childhood favourites of mine too, and Nancy Drew too.

Hello from Sydney, Australia. Thanks for your invitation to join the group Jean! Obviously it is a perfect group for me since I am originally from the UK - I grew up in Bedfordshire - and I read heaps of mysteries.
Looking forward to sharing some good English mysteries with you all.

Anastasia wrote: "Hi, I'm from Sydney, Australia but grew up in Adelaide and love all mysteries. I became hooked after reading Sherlock Holmes as a kid and then Enid Blyton and Trixie Beldon. I also loved Nancy Drew..."

Hi Anastasia and welcome to the "English Mysteries" Club. I'm so glad you found us as it does sound right up your street. Just join in wherever you like - we have a dedicated Agatha Christie thread up and running already :)

Phrynne wrote: "Hello from Sydney, Australia. Thanks for your invitation to join the group Jean! Obviously it is a perfect group for me since I am originally from the UK - I grew up in Bedfordshire - and I read he..."

Hey Phrynne - good to see you here! Yes it suddenly hit me that this group would be perfect for you, so thank you for taking it up, and welcome! Hope you have fun :)

Suzy wrote: "Laurel wrote: "I'm still here. Nice to see some activity again! I'm a public librarian in Minnesota. I'm not particularly a mystery reader - probably more into historical and literary fiction - but..."

I've subbed for all of the Minneapolis libraries in the past... but since 2004 I have been in Carver County - I work mainly at the Norwood Young America Library, and sometimes in Waconia or Watertown.

Hello everyone. I am Debra from the United States. I am joining because Jean is the moderator. (She is the moderator of another group I am in and a Goodreads friend.) I am not an English Mystery fan at all, but I have been lurking here, and it looks like there are some good books that you will be reading. So, I am going to expand my horizons and try some.

Hi Debra, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". How lovely to see you here! I hope that you soon feel right at home, and are tempted to read and enjoy lots of books you otherwise might not have thought of :)

Thanks for the welcome. I have picked out two books by Edmund Crispin. A new-to-me author.

Hi, Debra. Welcome to the group!