oyceter | (no subject)

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memery

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Bored, therefore:

Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it. Ask for anything: latest movie watched, last book read, political leanings, thoughts on yaoi, favorite type of underwear, graphic techniques, etc. Repost in your own journal if you are so inclined.

Er, given my horrible track record on these things, no promises, though I will definitely keep topics in mind!

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Do you ever read mysteries?

Really rarely. As you may have noticed, Bob-Oracne, I have zero plot brain, which makes reading mysteries somewhat difficult ;). I generally find I'm not particularly invested in who-did-what or what-actually-happened. I bounced pretty hard off Sayers, with the exception of Gaudy Night.

On the other hand, I'll read them if I like the characters, which is how I read Sarah Smith, Lindsay Davis, and Janet Evanovich. Though I had a more difficult time getting into the Davis because of the plot-heaviness. I think I tend to like mysteries more when they're combined with other genres, like romance or sff.

Me, too, though I love Sayers for Peter even in his early, somewhat flat-character stages...ditto Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham and P.D. James, all of which I read when I was younger.

Hrm, what do they write about? I have also been meaning to try Dick Francis for a while, per Rachel's rec, because while I am blah about plot, I like details about different jobs and/or hobbies.

Though that still doesn't explain why I bounced off Murder Must Advertise.

Dick Francis is more suspense than mystery, I feel, and the details thing is really great (though some of the oldest ones might bug you for gender issues, like ENQUIRY, which is otherwise great).

Marsh and Allingham are fairly simple, short British mysteries, but both wrote series with ongoing characters. Marsh had some set in New Zealand, where she lived, and some set during WWII, and some in theater settings, all of which were interesting, though there are racial issues in some of hers. Allingham did the Campion series, which is a bit more spies than policework some of the time, and there're even a couple that are science-fictiony. If you don't like mysteries in general, you might not like these, as they are generally considered exemplars of the genre. Both have been adapted for television at different times.

P.D. James' novels are more complex, most of them following the rather dour and depressed policeman/poet Adam Dalgliesh. I think they're characterized as police procedurals. They're not cheery books, but I found them absorbing, back when I read them in the 80s.

Hrm ok. I seem to do better with suspense than mystery. Oh, I also really bounced off a Peter Dickinson mystery (police procedural?), so maybe there is something about the lack of suspense? No clue.

If I were you, I'd stick with trying Francis.

Gotcha, thanks for the tip.

I want to hear more about Janet Evanovitch, now.

http://oyceter.livejournal.com/tag/a:+evanovich+janet

Yay obsessive tagging?

I read those pretty long ago though, so I don't quite remember. I really loved the first book and ended up buying it, but I think I went through the series too quickly and burnt out.

Also, I like Morelli more than Ranger ;).

Whee!

My mom does too. I'm more of a Ranger girl. I think you could probably do some very funny personality analysis based on who women pick.

morelli girls unite :)

I read 2-3 of these in quick succession, then stopped abruptly because it seemed like the same book over and over again.

Yeah, me too.

That's sort of where I'm at with her now. I liked that book, but there's only so many I need to read in a lifetime.

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