The Stuff: This is a collection of short stories involving Miss Phryne Fisher, an Australian lady detective of the 1920s. She is independent, knowledgeable, wealthy, and liberated. This contains seventeen Miss Phryne Fisher murder mystery short stories. IMselddomHO, the short form doesn’t let the mysteries develop as well as the novel. Not all the storiesContinue reading “Review of “The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions: The Ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher Story Collection””
Tag Archives: book review
Review of “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World” by Irene Vallejo
The Stuff: In her preface, author Irene Vallejo asks: “Why did books first appear? What is the secret history of efforts to reproduce or destroy them? What was lost along the way, and what was saved? Why have some of them become classics? How much has succumbed to the jaws of time, the talons ofContinue reading “Review of “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World” by Irene Vallejo”
Review of “The Haunting of Maddy Clare”
The Stuff: In 1920s London, Sarah Piper gets a call from the temporary agency that employs her. She must meet a man in a coffee shop for the details. Everything about this job screams no, but she is behind on the rent. Wealthy Alistair Gellis proposes an outlandish assignment. Sarah is to travel to theContinue reading “Review of “The Haunting of Maddy Clare””
…And the Spring Clean is Complete
This is my last group of books going to the library. The great spring clean is done. The book cases are not quite as full as they once were. But some nifty books found happy homes; a few went directly to friends. That made me feel great. And I got a chance to flip throughContinue reading “…And the Spring Clean is Complete”
Spring Clean #21
This group of books from the last shelf in my great clean-out of books. Of course, it will soon be covered in books from other parts of the house, but that’s a matter for another day. I have a chance to wipe the dust off in momentary triumph and rearrange the whole bookshelf. Yeah. TheContinue reading “Spring Clean #21”
Spring Clean #19 The End is in Sight
With this group of books, the end approaches for the spring cleaning I originally intended. I have less than a shelf to go. That means, I can clean off an end table or two and put books on a freshly dusted off shelf. The Stuff: As journalist Seierstad recounts in her foreword, she met ShahContinue reading “Spring Clean #19 The End is in Sight”
Books Spring Clean #17
This is this week’s group of books for the library. As often happens, re-reading passages brought back a lot of happy memories. I will miss the books, but saying goodbye is an enjoyable experience. I hope to pass the same enjoyment on to other people. This Stuff: The narrative opens in the author’s laser lab.Continue reading “Books Spring Clean #17”
Books Spring Clean #16
This is the next group of books going to the library for donation. As always, there are great memories here. Writing these summaries gives me the chance to say goodbye and remember the great things about reading these books. I hope they go to happy homes and I’m able to share these happy memories withContinue reading “Books Spring Clean #16”
Books for the Library #15
This is my next group of books for donation. With this bunch, another milestone—I’ve cleared off another shelf! YIPPEE! Hey, I take my victories where I can. I hope these guys find happy homes. The Stuff: This examines in painful detail the 2002-2003 plagiarism and fabrication scandal involving New York Times reporter Jayson Blair. AnContinue reading “Books for the Library #15”
Books for the Library #14
This is the next group of books set aside for donation to the local library. I’ll be dropping this set off on September 15. If anyone wants any of these between then and now, let me know, and I’ll get it to you. As always, re-reading these books brings back happy memories. I hope theyContinue reading “Books for the Library #14”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 