Mysteries around the world

Books. That's what I am talking about here. I love mysteries and have recently read (actually it was on tape) a book set in Japan. Here's what the book jacket says about it.

"A man about to leave his marriage is poisoned to death while his wife, the logical suspect, is hundreds of miles away. Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi and his assistant agree to disagree about the guilty party: was it his wife, his girlfriend, his business associate, or a random crime? They call on physics professor Manubu Yukawa, and even the brilliant mind of "Detective Galileo" is challenged by a crime that is implausible, methodical - and perfect."

It takes some thought to remember the names of the characters but I must say, I did enjoy it. The main reason? The wife in the story is a Patchwork artist/professional who also has an assistant/student. It's too bad we can't see what sorts of works the wife has made but there is a bit of description all the same. Although it is mostly set in Tokyo, we don't really get a feel for the city. I do like the main police officers (one of whom is a woman) and their physics professor friend.

Title: Salvation of a Saint

Author: Keigo Higashino

Published by: St. Martin's Minotaur, 2012     

The other book I'm listening to is set in Ireland. I haven't finished it yet but it sounds like it will be a good one. This too is set in the country's capital - Dublin, but not in today's Dublin. The book starts off in 1985 and then, 22 years later, something happens to bring back the main character, Frank Mackay, to his old neighbourhood. He is now a cop and it seems that nothing has really changed with his family in all that time.

Here's the blurb:
"Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, living in a small flat with his family on Faithful Place in Dublin's inner city. He and Rosie Daly planned to run away to London, get married, and break away from poverty and their old lives. But the night they were leaving, Rosie didn't show. Frank assumed that she dumped him and never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Now, twenty-two years, later Rosie's suitcase shows up in a derelict house on Faithful Place."

Title: Faithful Place

Author: Tana French

Published by: Thorndike/Windsor/Paragon, 2010

Lastly, there is a book on hold that I will have to go and pick up. It is one in a series.  The setting is Kent, England in the early 1900s and the main character is Maisie Dobbs who is a private investigator. It's not the author's first Maisie Dobbs book but it will not hinder the reading and enjoyment of the book if you don't start at the first one.

Here's a bit about it:

"With the country in the grip of economic malaise, and worried about her business, Maisie Dobbs is relieved to accept an apparently straightforward assignment from an old friend to investigate certain matters concerning a potential land purchase. Her inquiries take her to a picturesque village in Kent during the hop-picking season, but beneath its pastoral surface she finds evidence that something is amiss. Mysterious fires erupt in the village with alarming regularity, and a series of pettycrimes suggests a darker criminal element at work. As Maisie discovers, the villagers are bitterly prejudiced against outsiders who flock to Kent at harvest time--even more troubling, they seem possessed by the legacy of a wartime Zeppelin raid. Maisie grows increasingly suspicious of a peculiar secrecy that shrouds the village, and ultimately she must draw on all her finely honed skills of detection to solve one of her most intriguing cases."

Title: An Incomplete Revenge

Author: Jacqueline Winspear

Published by: H. Holt, 2008

And now, something that has nothing whatsoever to do with books.

 It's a latch hook rug kit that I picked up at Value Village. That's op shop to you Aussies. It's not a big one - finishing at just 8 inches square but I thought it needed a home. I haven't done one in ages and all that's missing is the hook. It was a brand new kit all wrapped in plastic so I don't know why they didn't provide the hook. Maybe that's why the owner gave it up. That's fine by me since I own two hooks so I can work on this while watching TV during the evenings.

Note: Thank you to all of you who voted for my quilt.

Worth reading

For anyone who likes quilts, loves quilts and/or appreciates quilts and their history, please read Esther Aliu's latest blog post. It's here.

Esther has re-created a quilt - a true vintage quilt and if you wish, you can make one too. All you have to do is join her yahoo group - it's free and therefore, the pattern will be free too, for a limited time. There is some mystery surrounding the quilt, where it is today, if indeed it still exists. It was shown in a 1956 copy of Patchwork by Averil Colby.

And since a blog post is not truly complete unless it has a photo, I shall show you this.

This is just one of the beautiful bouquets I received on my birthday last year. The flowers are all gone but the gorgeous photos remain...

Finishes

I am trying to finish a few things today.

I'm really close to finishing this book. It was our book club selection for January.

I'd like to finish this little Ursula Schertz frog. There's not much left to do.

And this little sweater only needs the side seams sewn up and the the tails buried.

And now, why not take a look at what other Canadian's are doing this week.

The Needle and Thread Network is a wonderful site where you can see other Works In Progress on this Wednesday.

Book Review - Snowmen

Since I am a proud mom, I thought I would brag a bit here. There is a wonderful review of my son Mark's book Snowmen in today's edition of Canada's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/snowmen-by-mark-sedore/article1938663/

The book is available at Chapters/Indigo, Amazon (both .ca and .com) Barnes and Noble, and Borders. It's also at many bricks and mortar book stores.

IT IS HERE

Yes, it is! It's early too!! It wasn't suppose to be out until the 1st of September but it arrived yesterday.

 The BIG event had to be recorded  - regardless of what time it was...

Surprise!

Just a flip through. The very first time Mark has held his very first published book called Snowmen.

And, of course, every NEW BOOK has to be smelled. Yes there are two books there - these are the ones his brother pre-ordered but since he is in Spain, he lucked out.

WOW, it's even dedicated!

(To my parents, Clare and Dolores)

This is a commercial and a shameless plug, for all of you who didn't get it.

Here's the cover for a better look and ...

This is the invitation to the book launch - for those of you who are interested.

One more thing: Here's the very first review of the book from  

http://www.uptownmag.com/2010-08-12/page6355.aspx

A winner in more ways than one

Snowmen, which took top honours in last year’s 3-Day Novel Contest, is a fast-paced, gripping tale about brothers

Quentin Mills-Fenn

How are you going to spend the Labour Day long weekend? Last year, Mark Sedore wrote a novel.

Snowmen (3-Day Books) won 2009’s 3-Day Novel Contest, the annual literary marathon. Winning manuscripts get published and, like all the 3-Day winners I’ve read, Snowmen is really quite good. It’s a fast-paced read, but it still manages to delve into a complicated relationship between two brothers.

Charlie is a decent guy, a music therapist. His younger brother, Larry, is a genius with a social disorder — he’s wildly successful, professionally, but a disaster, personally.

Larry lays two bombshells on Charlie: he has a brain tumour and he wants to walk across the Arctic Circle to raise money for cancer research. When Larry is unable to undertake the quest, Charlie fills in for him. Larry doesn’t like this at all and sabotages his sibling.

The book alternates between the antipodal brothers’ backstory, which relates the circumstances of their falling-out, and Charlie’s interior monologues on his lonely journey. Not directly addressed but intriguing to consider is any connection between Larry’s deteriorating mental health and his increasingly aberrant personality.

Sedore has produced a gripping and satisfying story which betrays no clue to its origins.

If you’ve got the inclination, who not do something productive next month and whip up a novel? You can make an outline, even collaborate with another person, but all writing has to be done during the long weekend, wrapping up at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6th. Register by Sept. 3 at http://www.3daynovel.com/. The winning entry will get published next year.

http://www.uptownmag.com/2010-08-12/page6355.aspx

Thank you for reading all this if you've made it this far. I am a proud and happy mom.

Note: The lovely young lady with me in the photos and wearing my favourite turquoise colour is Kate, proud wife of the new author.

Shameless plug

This is the cover of my son's book. It won't be out until September 1st but can be pre-ordered at either Chapters.ca, Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.
Chapters is the only one that shows the cover art.

Here's the blurb:

From the Publisher

Charles Perth intends to be the first person to walk alone across the North Pole, bisecting the Arctic Circle between Canada and Russia. He leaves behind the woman he loves―knowing he can never see her again, even if he makes it to the other side. During his journey, Charles is confronted by the extreme climate, dangerous predators and constant, blinding summer sun of the Arctic, now permanently frozen due to a drastic global climate shift. Charles is also subject to the strategic malevolence of his unstable and resentful brother who, from thousands of kilometres away, has the resources and savvy to make the solo expedition treacherous, and even deadly. If Charles is to succeed―and survive―he must overcome exhaustion, starvation, sabotage, and despair, and find in himself the strength and will to beat his brother at his own twisted game.
This riveting, anxiety-filled read is the latest winner of the annual International 3-Day Novel Contest, a notorious rite of passage for writers that has taken place every Labour Day Weekend since 1977. Hundreds of novelists enter every year, and thousands more wish they had the courage. It has spawned its own genre of risky, cutting-edge fiction, evident in the 27 unique winning novels that have been published since the contest began. The 33rd annual contest will take place this September; for more information contact 3daynovel.com.

On a second note: Mark Sedore will be reading from his book at Word on the Street on September 26th. It is a Book and Magazine Festival that has been going on for 21 years now.