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What I just read
Not My Blood, by Barbara Cleverly. This is a good mystery, though darker than the previous book of hers that I read. It has the same detective, Joe Sandilands, this time operating more officially, though with somewhat tangled instructions and different aspects of the government and bureaucracy. (This one is set in England in 1933.) Having found and enjoyed two of these on the library's recommended shelf, I will probably look for more.
The Siamese Twin Mystery, by Ellery Queen. This was prompted by other people talking about rereading Agatha Christie; I grabbed a semi-random Ellery Queen novel from the library to see how they hold up. It's not so much that there was something wrong with it, as that it just didn't grab me. Ellery Queen and his father (the actual police officer) take refuge from a forest fire in an out-of-the-way home; there's a murder soon after they arrive. From there, we get weird clues, someone framed for the murder, and so on, as the fire rages and comes gradually closer. Does it count as idiot plotting if I spent large parts of the book wondering whether the basics of fire-fighting were so unknown in 1933 that it makes sense for them to have just sat there and worried, with nobody thinking to clear, cut, or dig any kind of firebreak while they had nothing else to do?
The Artsy Farty Club, by Daniel Pinkwater. This is a quick read, and pretty light; a loose sequel to The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, in which I think the only significant character who reappears is the chicken. It's about three kids (I'm guessing they're somewhere between 12 and 14) who are getting very bored on summer vacation, and decide to try drawing things. They meet a sidewalk artist, who agrees to give them lessons, and have not-too-big adventures, including a subway trip into the city by themselves. For Pinkwater fans only, I think.
What I am reading now
The Cambrian Explosion, by Douglas H. Erwin and James W. Valentine. This is detailed, with gorgeous illustrations, and very up to date. It's also slightly above my level/background, but I am going to keep going, because I'm enjoying myself. The authors are doing what looks (to my extremely amateur eyes) like a pretty thorough overview of what is known about the Ediacaran and Cambrian, and the ecological and evolutionary changes during those eras. This includes saying when things are disputed, or previously published ideas now seem unlikely, along with describing some fossils and taxa as "problematic."
What I am likely to read next
A Stranger in Solondria, by Sofia Samatar, on multiple recommendations, including from Jo Walton (writing on tor.com).
Not My Blood, by Barbara Cleverly. This is a good mystery, though darker than the previous book of hers that I read. It has the same detective, Joe Sandilands, this time operating more officially, though with somewhat tangled instructions and different aspects of the government and bureaucracy. (This one is set in England in 1933.) Having found and enjoyed two of these on the library's recommended shelf, I will probably look for more.
The Siamese Twin Mystery, by Ellery Queen. This was prompted by other people talking about rereading Agatha Christie; I grabbed a semi-random Ellery Queen novel from the library to see how they hold up. It's not so much that there was something wrong with it, as that it just didn't grab me. Ellery Queen and his father (the actual police officer) take refuge from a forest fire in an out-of-the-way home; there's a murder soon after they arrive. From there, we get weird clues, someone framed for the murder, and so on, as the fire rages and comes gradually closer. Does it count as idiot plotting if I spent large parts of the book wondering whether the basics of fire-fighting were so unknown in 1933 that it makes sense for them to have just sat there and worried, with nobody thinking to clear, cut, or dig any kind of firebreak while they had nothing else to do?
The Artsy Farty Club, by Daniel Pinkwater. This is a quick read, and pretty light; a loose sequel to The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, in which I think the only significant character who reappears is the chicken. It's about three kids (I'm guessing they're somewhere between 12 and 14) who are getting very bored on summer vacation, and decide to try drawing things. They meet a sidewalk artist, who agrees to give them lessons, and have not-too-big adventures, including a subway trip into the city by themselves. For Pinkwater fans only, I think.
What I am reading now
The Cambrian Explosion, by Douglas H. Erwin and James W. Valentine. This is detailed, with gorgeous illustrations, and very up to date. It's also slightly above my level/background, but I am going to keep going, because I'm enjoying myself. The authors are doing what looks (to my extremely amateur eyes) like a pretty thorough overview of what is known about the Ediacaran and Cambrian, and the ecological and evolutionary changes during those eras. This includes saying when things are disputed, or previously published ideas now seem unlikely, along with describing some fossils and taxa as "problematic."
What I am likely to read next
A Stranger in Solondria, by Sofia Samatar, on multiple recommendations, including from Jo Walton (writing on tor.com).
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