My Challenges - progress in January and February

In a bout of optimism, I joined no less than five challenges for this year, and so far I have done fairly well. If you want to read a review, please select the relevant author among my tags. 

The Global Reading Challenge (medium level, 14 books):
Australasia: Vanda Symon, Overkill
Europe: Esther Verhoef, Close-Up
North America: Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Cathryn Grant, The Demise of the Soccer Moms
The Seventh Continent: Kate Summerscale, The Suspicion of Mr Whicher (history)

2011 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge (4-6 novels)
Margery Allingham, Hide Your Eyes (1958)
John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915)

What´s in a Name (6 novels)
A number: C.J. Box, Three Weeks to Say Goodbye
A gem: Peter Lovesey, Diamond Dust
A size: Declan Burke, The Big O

Ireland Reading Challenge (6 novels)
Declan Burke, The Big O
Tana French, The Likeness
Brian McGilloway, Gallows Lane
Colin Bateman, Mystery Man (not reviewed yet)

Bogudfordringen 2011 (Danish)
January: crime before 2000:
Margery Allingham, En morder lukkes ind (1958/1971)
John Buchan, Thirty-Nine Steps (1915)
February: short story collections
Roald Dahl, Kiss, Kiss
Cathryn Grant, Flash Fiction for the Cocktail Hour
Laura Lippman, Hardly Knew Her


And another kind of progress: in January I had so many books in my TBR that I couldn´t squeeze any more in. Since then I have read at least six of those without buying new ones (but don´t ask me how many e-books I have acquired in the meantime - they don´t take up space so they don´t count at all).

What about you; did you join any challenges?
Have you made some progress?

April - mowing forward or back?

When it comes to reading, April was a very successful month. I reviewed eleven novels, most of them excellent books I enjoyed a lot.

On the other hand, I have wasted much time on computer problems and other time consuming activities lately, and instead of writing fiction, I have moved backwards, so to speak. I am in the process of editing a Danish manuscript, and this week I have removed c 500 words (if I am not mistaken, I have removed quantity and added to the quality, but who knows).

But I have also made some decisions about the plot and my protagonist so thanks to you I think I am on the right track.

And when it comes to my reading challenges, things are going so well that I have decided to join a fourth, The Scandinavian Reading Challenge 2010, hosted by Amy of The Black Sheep Dances. (Well, it shouldn´t be too difficult either, after two days with a sore throat I have read half of the six novels).

What´s in a Name Challenge:
1. Food: Pierre Magnan, Death in The Truffle Wood. READ
2. Body of water: Paul Cleave, Cemetery Lake READ
3. A title: Colin Cotterill, The Coroner´s Lunch (TBR)
4. A plant: Thomas Cook, Red Leaves (TBR)
5. Place name: Matt B Rees, The Bethlehem Murders READ
6. Music term:Margot Kinberg, B-very Flat READ

2010 Global Reading Challenge:
Africa:
1) YabaBadoe, True Murder, Ghana (TBR)
2) ?

Asia:
1) Shamini Flint, Inspector Singh Investigates (TBR)
2) Matt B Rees, The Bethlehem Murders READ

Australasia:
1) Paul Cleave, Cemetery Lake, NZ READ
2) Peter Temple, Bad Debts – Australia READ

Europe:
1) James Thompson, Snow Angels READ
2) Simone Van der Vlugt, Reunion READ

North America:
1) Megan Abbott, Bury Me Deep, USA READ
2) Vicki Delaney, Valley of the Lost, Canada READ

South America:
1) Leighton Gage, Blood of the Wicked, Brazil (TBR)
2) ?

Antarctica:
1) Raymond Khoury, The Sign (TBR)
2) ?


2010 Cozy Mystery Challenge
1. Donna Moore, Old Dogs – cozy caper – READ
2. M.C. Beaton, Death of an Outsider – READ
3. Louise Doughty, Honey-Dew – READ
4. Pierre Magnan, The Murdered House TBR
5. Rebecca Tope, Death in the Cotswolds TBR
6. ?

Classic Crime Fiction Curriculum Challenge

Rob, The View from the Blue House, has come up with a new meme:

The Classic Crime Fiction Curriculum Challenge.

Here is Rob´s basic idea:

“I’ve read several hundred crime novels but nearly all of them are from the contemporary period. This is the year I intend to right that by reading some of the crime fiction canon. What I need though is a curriculum - a list of ten must-read crime fiction classics.”

Excellent idea, and here is my own list, based on the principle that you can only recommend what you have read. So my excuses to the rest of the world for this rather biased list; I know I have always favoured British crime fiction.

Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart (1843) – a fine, Gothic short story

Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White (1859) – considering how old this one is, it is a great mystery, full of suspense and atmosphere.

Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend (1865) – an all-time favourite of mine. Compelling characters, but I admit that some readers may find it too easy to guess the mystery.

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) – I saw the film when I was far too young (six or seven years, perhaps, hiding behind an armchair), and it scared the daylights out of me for days. The book was not quite as horrible, yet a fine old classic.

Agatha Christie, The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) – the first Miss Marple story where Christie does not quite seem to have made up her mind what kind of person Miss Marple is.

Agatha Christie, Cat Among the Pigeons (1959) – Hercule Poirot can be a bit too smug for me, but I love this story for his interesting sidekick, a young, very observant school girl.

Dorothy L. Sayers, The Nine Tailors (1934) – interesting setting (including a snowstorm) around a huge village church and a team of bell ringers.

P.D. James, Cover Her Face (1962) – the first Adam Dalgliesh story, a closed circle mystery.

Sjöwall & Wahlöö, Roseanna (1966) – fortunately, the first of this series which has inspired so many Scandinavian crime writers comes within the 1970 limit. The first, but also one of the best among them.

Ruth Rendell, Sins of the Fathers (1967) – in my opinion the second Chief Inspector Wexford story is more interesting both with regard to plot and characters than the first.

Should you feel like participating by writing your own list, Rob would be very pleased, and if you should feel like reading some of my recommendations, I would be very pleased.

An addition:
Many years ago I read Rex Stout´s Too Many Cooks (1938) - a tasty American read, Rob!

Take-Off

This story is my contribution to a flash fiction challenge, the Steve Weddle Memorial Airport Flash Fiction Challenge, hosted by Dan O´Shea.

”Hurry up now, Urquhart, let´s go to the tax free. I want to see what they have here. I must have that new Elizabeth Arden deodorant and perhaps the Chanel lipstick Priscilla wore at her last garden party. Maybe we can also find a little something for Shirley. She told me specifically that she adores the whole Yves Saint Laurent range. And there´s your sister´s birthday next month …”

He switched off the sound but followed in her wake, carrying her shopping basket and paying with his master card without batting an eyelid. Keep them busy and happy as his father used to say. He was a seasoned traveler and knew that if you had seen one duty free, you had seen them all. London, Paris, Amsterdam, you wouldn´t know where you were unless you checked your boarding card. There was no point in trying to tell her, though.

“ … just stand there!”

He realized he had not paid attention to what she was on about for too long. He stared in confusion while she nearly cracked one of his ribs with her razor sharp elbow.

“Darling, could you please repeat that?” he groaned. He pulled himself together, thinking of Kitty who was waiting for him in California.

He suggested they have a drink shortly before boarding time. She hesitated, but he knew she could not say no. He had been married to her for sixteen years. She dropped down on a chair and kicked off her shoes, before she began rummaging for a mirror in her voluminous handbag to check that her curls and the plum-coloured three-piece suit sat where she left them in the morning. He asked for a whisky and one of those pink cocktails with strawberries and an umbrella.

They drank to a wonderful holiday, and in a jiffy she had drained her glass. Alcohol used to mollify her, but today sweat broke out on her forehead while her complexion turned from ruddy to a pale shade of green. He could see doubt and anxiety in her eyes when he escorted her to the ladies and offered to hold her bag so she would have her hands free. He heard retching sounds behind the door.

The boarding process began, and though time seemed to move in snail-mail mode, it was all over in fifteen minutes. He leant back in his seat, flicking through the pages of his morning paper. The seat next to him was empty. The cabin crew were running up and down the aisle, checking that the passengers had stowed their hand baggage away when an old granny sat down next to him. The door was locked, and the flight taxied out to the runway while a pretty stewardess took them through the safety procedure.

So far so good, yet Urquhart Malahyde would have paid through the nose to be able to see her leave that toilet in Amsterdam, flustered and dizzy, only to realize that her husband and her handbag had gone. Marcia had an eye for details, so she would spot her bag which had been discarded on top of the nearest trash can straight away. As soon as she discovered that her purse and her passport were not there, she would scream murder and theft all over the place. Or perhaps she would see the boarding card immediately and think she still had a chance. That old boarding card from their last holiday together would not take her far, however. She would really need her glib tongue to talk her out of that one.

And Kitty would appreciate his thoughtfulness when she opened one tiny parcel after the other, carefully wrapped in glossy paper by the staff in the duty free shop.

WalMartyres

Flash Fiction Challenge: write a story which takes place in Walmart.

I didn´t quite know what to expect. Perhaps not exactly tweed or pin-stripes, yet I had never dreamed of anything like this. I couldn´t prevent myself from staring at the odd display around us and wonder which kind of shop would sell such garments. ...


The story has now been sold to an American ebook publisher in the anthology "Discount Noir". Buy the anthology to read the rest of the story, plus 41 other flash stories about megamarts.


See my inspiration for the challenge.
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Cozy Mystery - Hyggekrimi

Skal jeg nu bruge det engelske begreb ´cozy mystery´, eller skal jeg oversætte det til hyggekrimi? I hvert fald vil jeg gerne fortælle, at jeg nu har kastet mig ud i en ny udfordring: læs og anmeld seks hyggekrimier i perioden 1. april – 30. september.

Det er Kris, Not Enough Books, som er vært for denne udfordring, og hvis andre skulle føle sig fristet, kan det stadig lade sig gøre at melde sig til (men man skal nok helst anmelde bøgerne på engelsk).

Det er ikke obligatorisk at lave en liste over bøger på forhånd, men jeg har skrevet mine umiddelbare ideer ned:

Engelske forfattere: Louise Penny, Agatha Christie (Miss Marple), Caroline Graham, A.A. Milne, Peter Lovesey, Alexander McCall Smith, Dorothy Sayers, Ann Cleeves, Martha Grimes, Ellis Peters, Gillian Roberts & Elizabeth Ferrars.

Skandinaviske forattere: Anders Bodelsen (Den åbne dør), Else Fischer, Kirsten Holst (Døden rejser med) Maria Lang (Mordet på Landsbykirkegården)

Hvad synes du? Hvilke af forfatterne vil du gerne have en anmeldelse af? – eller har du en yndlingsforfatter/hyggekrimi, du synes skal med på listen?



Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge.
Last week I found this reading challenge via Beth Fish´s blog, and I did not even try to resist the temptation. Thank you, Kris, Not Enough Books, for hosting this one.

The most important Rules:
1. The challenge runs from April 1, 2009 –September 30, 2009 (6 months)
2. The goal is to read at least 1 cozy mystery for each month, so a total of 6. You can read these all in the same month, one per month, or however you want.
3. It is ok to use books that you are already reading for other challenges, however at least 2 need to be specific for this challenge.

We don´t have to make a list beforehand, but here is a list of ideas I jotted down immediately:

English authors: Louise Penny, Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, Murder at the Vicarage), Caroline Graham, A.A. Milne, The Red House Mystery, Peter Lovesey, Alexander McCall Smith, Dorothy Sayers (Busman´s Honeymoon), Ann Cleeves, George & Molly Palmer, Martha Grimes, Ellis Peters, Gillian Roberts, (Amanda Pepper), Elizabeth Ferrars.

Scandinavian authors: Anders Bodelsen (Den åbne dør), Else Fischer, Kirsten Holst (Døden rejser med) Maria Lang (Mordet på Landsbykirkegården)

What do you think? Any of these you´d particularly like a review of, or do you have a favourite book/author which should be on my list?

2009 Suspense and Thriller Reading Challenge

I have participated in - and finished - my first reading challenge ever!
The challenge is hosted by Kay of J.Kay´s book blog. The main rule is: read twelve different sub-genres of thrillers in 2009. And here you have my twelve books including links to each review. Thanks Kay for a wonderful challenge.

My Thriller Dozen:
1) Anne Holt, What Never Happens/Det som aldrig sker - serial killer thriller
2) Sue Grafton, A is for Alibi/A for alibi - private detective mystery
3)Kerstin Ekman, Blackwater/Hændelser ved vand - psychological thriller.
4) Ingrid Hedström, The Schoolmistress of Villette/Lærerinden fra Villette - legal thriller.
5) Inger Frimansson, The Shadow in the Water/Skyggen i vandet - inverted mystery.
6) Ann Cleeves, The Crow Trap - eco thriller.
7) Mark Billingham, The Burning Girl/Den brændende pige - hard-boiled mystery.
8) Kjell Ole Dahl, The Fourth Man/Den fjerde røver - art crime/literary thriller.
9) Martin Edwards, The Coffin Trail - police procedural thriller.
10) Donna Moore, Go to Helena Handbasket - comic thriller.
11) Tana French, In the Woods/Skoven - murder mystery.
12) Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend/Vor Fælles Ven - historical thriller.

En udfordring til mig selv - Suspense and Thriller Reading Challenge

Jeg har besluttet mig for at melde mig til en af de talrige læse-udfordringer, der kan findes rundt om på engelske bogblogs. Denne udfordring er ret oplagt for mig; opgaven går ud på at læse tolv forskellige undergenrer af thrillers i løbet af 2009. For deltagere, som ikke sådan uden videre kan komme på mere end to-tre undergenrer, har J.Kay venligst lagt en lang liste med ikke mindre end 38 forskellige.

Challenging myself
I have decided to try the following reading challenge, found at J. Kay´s book blog: 2009 Suspense and Thriller Reading Challenge

The main rule is: read twelve different sub-genres of thrillers in 2009. I think I can do that - but let´s see. Afterwards the participants are supposed to post all their reviews in the same folders as inspiration.

My progress:
1) Anne Holt, What Never Happens/Det som aldrig sker - serial killer thriller
2) Sue Grafton, A is for Alibi/A for alibi - private detective mystery
3)Kerstin Ekman, Blackwater/Hændelser ved vand - psychological thriller.
4) Ingrid Hedström, The Schoolmistress of Villette/Lærerinden fra Villette - legal thriller.
5) Inger Frimansson, The Shadow in the Water/Skyggen i vandet - inverted mystery.
6) Ann Cleeves, The Crow Trap - eco thriller.
7) Mark Billingham, The Burning Girl/Den brændende pige - hard-boiled mystery.
8) Kjell Ole Dahl, The Fourth Man/Den fjerde røver - art crime/literary thriller.
9) Martin Edwards, The Coffin Trail - police procedural thriller.
10) Donna Moore, Go to Helena Handbasket - comic thriller.
11) Tana French, In the Woods/Skoven - murder mystery.
12) Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend/Vor Fælles Ven - historical thriller.

Krimi for begyndere (en udfordring)

For nogle af os er det bare en sund og naturlig trang at læse krimier. Visse andre læsere skal lirkes eller lokkes indenfor i krimiverdenen. (Så er hensigten med denne mini-artikel i hvert fald meldt klart ud).

Nogle mennesker læser ikke krimier, fordi det ikke er ´rigtig´ litteratur. (Indrømmet, hvis man sluger så mange som jeg gør, ryger der en del chicklit-krimi og ugebladslitteratur indenbords.) Men hvis du hører til denne gruppe, så er her en lille udfordring: læs mindst tre af følgende bøger fra krimi/thriller-hylden (præsenteret i vilkårlig rækkefølge)

Barbara Vine, Skorstensfejerens dreng.
Kerstin Ekman, Hændelser ved vand
Arne Dahl, Misterioso (1. del af serie på 10)
P.D. James, Døde nattergale
Elsebeth Egholm, Skjulte fejl og mangler (1. Dicte-roman)
Stieg Larsson, Mænd der hader kvinder (1. del af trilogi)
Minette Walters, En velbevaret hemmelighed
Kim Småge, Sub Rosa
Colin Dexter, Sidste bus til Woodstock.
Andrew Taylor, De dødes måned.
Wilkie Collins, Kvinden i hvidt (oversat til dansk efter 148 år!)
Leif Davidsen, Limes billede.
Susanne Staun, Som arvesynden (1. Fanny Fiske-roman)
Peter Høgh, Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne.
Ruth Rendell, Simisola

Og bagefter forventer jeg selvfølgelig at få en tilbagemelding ;)

Crime Fiction for Beginners (a challenge)
To some of us reading crime fiction is just a sound and natural urge. Some readers have to be lured into the world of crime, however. So this is what I shall try to do.

Some people claim that crime fiction is not serious literature. Granted, if you swallow enough of them you will get your share of light calories. But if you belong to this group, I have a challenge for you: try at least three of these books from the thriller/crime fiction shelf.

Barbara Vine, The Chimney Sweeper´s Boy
Kerstin Ekman, Blackwater
P.D. James, Shroud for a Nightingale
Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Minette Walters, The Ice House
Colin Dexter, Last bus to Woodstock.
Andrew Taylor, An air that kills (or try “Fallen Angel”, his Roth-trilogy).
Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White
Leif Davidsen, Lime´s Photograph
Ruth Rendell, Simisola

And of course I expect you to post a comment when you have tried one.