-=>While in the White Hart, Robert White explained to Fred Runk that<=-
 RW> Glad to see that someone is making the effort to keep this echo alive.
 RW> I have been going flat out with my normal work and some volunteer work
 RW> this summer & have only been able to lurk over my favorite echos.
Yeah, that's been my problem also--lots of work and little time for reading,
anything.
 RW> I have been trying to read a bit every night before I go to sleep, and
 RW> have been going through a few books this summer. Among the better ones
 RW> are:
 
 RW> 'The Holy Thief' by Ellis Peters.  I'm coming to the end of the
 RW> Brother Cadfael series, I think there is one more book in this series,
 RW> and I have enjoyed everyone of them. Peters was criticized over the
 RW> years for not being historically accurate in some of her depiction of
 RW> life in the 12th century, but I guess you'd have to be something of an
 RW> expert on Medieval England to really spot the mistakes.  I've never
 RW> caught Brother C dispensing an aspirin, or of anybody dying from a
 RW> burst of automatic weapons fire. I find the books believable and in
 RW> character, without getting so caught up in obscure terminology as to
 RW> make it a drag to read.  The sub-plot of the war between King Stephen
 RW> and his cousin Empress Maude for the crown of England is particularly
 RW> fascinating, I want to search out a history of the time to see how it
 RW> all turns out. 
I've enjoyed the ones I've read so far, which I think is most of them.  I
don't think I've read that one, though.  I also like the atmosphere.  I'm
not that familiar with that era, so I can't really say how authentic the
works were.  I heard some comments that the depiction of the civil war
wasn't quite accurate, but, as I said, I'm no expert.  I just enjoyed the
tales.
I didn't like the PBS Mystery! series because I just can't see Jacoby as
Brother Cadfael.  He's a great actor, loved him in I CLAUDIUS many years ago
and in other works, but he isn't convincing as a rough-and-tough mercenary
from the 12th century.
 RW> 'Zombies of the Gene Pool' by Sharon McCrumb.  I read her earlier
 RW> volume 'Bimbos of the Death Sun' the prefaces this book and found it
 RW> so-so. It was more on the weird world of SF fans and their conventions,
 RW> with the mystery as such taking a distinct second place. 'Gene Pool' is
I haven't read it, but I know about it through my interest in SF.  Many in
the SF Fido conference who have read it consider it more of a parody of SF
conventions and fans than a true mystery.
 RW> The pop-lit press up here in Canada has been hyping Kathy Reich's
 RW> first book 'Deja Dead' as being the best thing since Patricia Cornwell.
 RW> I haven't read the book yet, so I'll hold my judgement; but the more a
 RW> book is hyped, usually the less I like it - the John Grisham syndrome,
 RW> need I say more?  Has anybody out there read this book yet and want to
 RW> offer an opinion? 
Haven't read it, so I can't comment, except to say that I also tend to avoid
books that are hyped.  I have yet to read anything by either Grisham or
Clancy for that matter--probably am missing something, but my stack of stuff
to read is huge as it is.
I've been following along with Anne Peters and her "Monk" series, as well as
Colin Dexter's INSPECTOR MORSE.  I have bias toward police procedurals,
especially Scotland Yard for some reason--Inspector Lestrade perhaps?
FINISHED: Stephanie Barron, JANE & THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR
CR: Gene Wolfe, STOREYS FROM THE OLD HOTEL, 62/331
CR: Marcel Proust, SWANN'S WAY, 158/462
CR: Paul Theroux, THE GREAT RAILWAY BAZAAR, 34/342
Email: fredr@gci-net.com
... An occasional whimper gratifies the gods.
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