Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Monday, October 01, 2007
A Hoe Lot of Trouble and other mysteries
Today being the start of a new month, I was browsing Baer's Agricultural Almanac this morning and happend on this bit of information about my astrological sun sign: ...Marked by perserverance; enjoy mysteries...
Well, that explains it! I read one book for the August/September Garden Bloggers' Book Club, then another and another and even managed to work a video into the mix.
I began with A Hoe Lot of Trouble by Heather Webber. This was a quick read, not requiring much mental effort and therefore a good choice for early August. That said, I don't plan to read any more books by this author. It was a little thin. There wasn't much horticultural content. I didn't find the plot believable. I couldn't work up any sympathy for the main character - Nina Quinn. And mysteries are escapist reading for me - I prefer a setting that carries me away from the here and now, preferably a different century and continent. But I didn't hate it either - I kept turning the pages until the end, nevertheless I was eager to move on to the next book in the stack, which was...
Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert. This I liked. It was detail-rich and well-written, so I overlooked my preference for fiction set in a different time and place. And, besides, Texas is different than the East Coast or the Midwest. There was more horticultural content in this book than A Hoe Lot of Trouble, and further, I didn't quarrel with the author over it. I immediately liked China Bayles, where I reflexively disliked Nina Quinn. I now have the second book in the series on my shelf, and I'm currently reading the first book of a different series by the same author. Haven't made up my mind whether I like that one or not, but definitely will start Witches' Bane when I've finished The Tale of Hill Top Farm.
I had intended to read another Brother Cadfael mystery after Thyme of Death, but I couldn't locate the only one I think I may not have read - The Rose Rent. I saw that one when it aired on PBS, but I can't remember whether I read the book. I loved all the Brother Cadfael books and I have read every other one in the series, even though the characters were mostly predictable. Ellis Peters portrayed Brother Cadfael's world in a way that made me wish I had been there. I particularly admired the way she evoked lives lived closer to nature than we do now. But I couldn't find the book I was looking for, so instead I read the third book in Candace Robb's Owen Archer series - The Nun's Tale. Candace Robb's Middle Ages is much more hard-edged than Ellis Peters', and there isn't much gardening content to these books, but I've enjoyed the first three books in the series. Owen Archer's wife is a master apothecary, so there's the same hook to horticulture as Brother Cadfael, but not all that much detail. Candace Robb's interest in the Middle Ages seems to be more political than horticultural.
Reversing the old-fashioned custom of writing a book first and then adapting it to the screen, we have Rosemary & Thyme. We're back in the present, but still in England for this mystery series. I only watched the first one, and found it rather implausible and a very obvious effort to attract middle-aged women viewers, but the scenery was lovely so I'll give the second show a chance before judging it too harshly.
Another set of semi-horticultural mysteries that I don't believe any of the GBBCers have mentioned is the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. I've only read the first one of these - Fer de Lance - but I intend to read the rest of them someday. These books have a double horticultural hook - while Nero Wolfe is a reclusive orchid fancier, his creator, Rex Stout, was the brother of Ruth Stout - the queen of mulch.
Labels: books
8 Comments:
Wonderful post on a lot of good mysteries. Thanks for joining us for the Garden Bloggers Book Club, I've added you to the post.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Hi Entangled,
You and I both read Thyme of Death but I haven't read any of the B. Potter's yet.
Somehow this post has convinced me that your opinion in a review on just about anything would be very valuable - thank you.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Since both Annie and you recommend 'Thyme Of Death' I will try to locate an audio. I finish any housework (which I really dislike) effortlessly with a mystery playing in the background.
Nero Wolf though is a "real book only" kind of read. I have always had a thing for Archer, Nero Wolf's assistant, and was not in the least disappointed by the A&E portrayal. And I loved the setting's rich colors and 1940's look. The way they did they whole series like a theatre group with the same cast often playing different characters each week was very good.I only wish there were many more of the Nero Wolf mysteries to include.
Carol: Thanks once again for hosting. I really appreciated the chance to get acquainted with some new fiction this time around.
Annie: I wasn't aware of Susan Wittig Albert until I saw Gotta Garden's post some time ago, and your comment there convinced me I needed to learn more. (One thing I learned is that she's originally from Illinois.)
Thanks for the nice compliment!
Gloria: What a wonderful idea! Audio books while housecleaning! All this time I've been playing music to make housework go faster, and I never even thought of listening to audio books instead. But I know what you mean about some books being "real book only", and I think maybe that's what's kept me from listening to many audio books. I always think I'm going to listen to books while knitting, and then I never do. Anyhow, I'm going to give the housework thing a try - maybe this very afternoon.
I didn't see any of the Nero Wolfe series on A&E, although I heard it was good. If Netflix has it on DVD, I'll add it to my queue immediately.
You have good judgement. I didn't like the Nina Quinn character either. But I have read several of the China novels and like them. I have also read the first of the Beatrix Potter novels. Although I liked it, I have not been tempted to continue that series.
I have never read any Bother Cadfael books. I think I'll add the videos to my netflix queue and try watching them.
Bill: I think I liked the Brother Cadfael books better than the videos, but I saw the videos first and then read the books. If I remember rightly, the videos came out shortly after the recordings of Gregorian chants became popular in the mid 90s. The producers must have thought "We need a show about medieval monks ASAP".
Very interesting to read about all the diffferent mysteries. I really should try the China Bayles series. I agree with your assessment of Rosemary & Thyme but I must admit I am a sucker for the show and have seen all of them. I like the characters so much and really enjoy learning more about their families and backgrounds. And I love Laura Thyme's clothes! And Rex Stout is one of my favorite, favorite writers. I've read many of the books, and just love them. I love the descriptions of the house, the rooms, the orchids, the way Archie walks everywhere, and the meals. I didn't care for the television version, but I sure do love the books.
Nan: I still haven't gotten around to watching the second show of Rosemary & Thyme, but I have a feeling I'll warm up to the series once I've seen more of them.
I put one of the Nero Wolfe videos on my Netflix queue - I wonder how I'll like it compared to the books. Usually I like books better.
Some years ago I saw a TV presentation of one of the Blandings Castle stories by P. G. Wodehouse, where Peter O'Toole played the main character. I was so disappointed in the performance because I thought he played it very differently than my impressions from the books.
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