The non-fiction book is The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale. The writing style is more on the level of "historical thesis" than "Journalistic Feature". As such it contains a massive amount of detail and is very, very dry. As a history major, I am very used to this style of writing and so it didn't particularly bother me, but it doesn't really reach out an grab you & suck you in.
If you are a fan of detective novels, the book is fascinating. Through an examination of the career of one of Scotland Yard's original eight detectives, Kate Summerscale goes through the history of detectives, and of detective novels. There are lots of interesting bits of information that I found fascinating ~ such as the origin of the word "clue" and the inspiration for the first detective stories and novels.
Bottom Line: Recommended only for fans of the Victorian Detective Novel genre & I suggest checking it out at the library. I doubt anyone would want to read this more than once.
Because The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is so dry, I alternate between it and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. The first book in Larsson's ultra-famous and ultra-popular Millennium Trilogy, this book features a disgraced financial journalist investigating a forty year old missing persons case in exchange for the rehabilitation of his career. I'm not very far into it, so I don't know whether to recommend or not to recommend.
Based on the extreme popularity of these books worldwide, and the first few chapters that I have read, I have high hopes for the novel. It's been languishing in my "To Read" pile since it first came out in a hardback edition, and I am excited to finally be getting to it & enjoying it immensely so far.
Bottom Line: I'll let you know when I've read more of it! :D
What's on your nightstand these days?
~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.
P.S. If you like Graphic 45, be sure to check out this post to be entered for a chance to win some of your very own: Graphic 45 "On the Boardwalk" Giveaway.
Hi, Kathryn, I've read both and I agree about Suspicions. I remember skipping massive paragraphs and then just abandoning the book. The Stieg Larsson series is compelling, though I did think he occasionally got so bogged down with details that were not germaine to the plot. Nevertheless, still fun to read, esp the 2nd...girl power...c'mon, what's not to like? :-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
-Liz
Hi, Liz! Yeah, Suspiscions of Mr. Whicher involves a great many details that are totally pointless ~ some of them are very interesting and some of them are kind of ::yawn:: not very intersting. I remember reading the Prologue and thinking to myself, "This sounds more like a thesis statement than the introduction to a non-fiction novel," and then the following pages just continued to underscore that opinion.
ReplyDeleteI am maybe 20% of the way through Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Lisbeth's history with the government is just starting to get fleshed out. I have to admit that I am more interested in what is her deal than Mikael's, but maybe that is because I am still trying to keep all the Vanger's straight & not succeeding too well ... :D
~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.
I don't actually have any books on my nightstand although, BUYOLOGY (recommended by an insane dear friend of mine) is what goes with me everywhere. I also have 2/4 Scott Westerfield series waiting to be read. (These were also recommended by that same friend). She has not let me down yet so I am excited to finish BUYOLOGY and get to the SW series...
ReplyDeleteI currently have "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" by Stephanie Rowe on my nightstand. Her site gives a great description of this novel and can be found here: http://www.stephanierowe.com/HeLovesMeHeLovesMeHot.html
ReplyDeleteI also just sent you the book that I finished reading in about a week all put together. It was a great, quick and easy, light read.
oh, forgot...just fyi...TGWTDT foreign flick out. Mixed reviews and I'm planning to just get via Netflix. You know, I wasn't picturing Lisbeth as the actress in the flick. I don't know, I just sort of imagined her very young, very Goth, kwim. This actress they've got looks too sophisticated and very "Elle." But what do I know? (laugh)
ReplyDeleteLOL, Cass! OMG! Okay! I will go over to Amazon.com immediately and purchase Buyology! I will not pass "Go" and will not collect $200.00.
ReplyDeleteI checked the site out, Jenn, and the book looked pretty amusing! I will add it to my wishlist, but since I have about 60 books in my "To Read" pile at home, I am not buying too many books lately! Except I have to go get Buyology or Cass will probably beat me up! ;)
Liz, yeah, I saw that there had been a Swedish film put out based on the book. I plan to get it from Netflix when I finish the book/it becomes available on DVD. I also picture Lisbeth as very young, very little/skinny & very goth, what with the multiple facial piercings, tattoos and offbeat hair colors. I haven't checked out too many reviews of the movie itself, yet, but I'll probably Netflix it either way.
~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.
I love books!!!! Never read to many lately. I have two books on borderline personality disorder that I keep renewing from the library. I am supposed to be reading them but cannot get into it. My daughters husband is diagnosed and we believe mom also... so really is a necessity it keep plugging along. Other books on my nightstand include, Daily Comfort for Caregivers a devotional, Everday Blessings, Spiritual refreshment for Women, and my Bible. Varied selection but much needed in my life right now.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn,
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to meet someone who scrapbooks and read! I enjoy reading your book reviews. My next book in the "to read" pile is "heart of the matter" by Emily Giffin.
Well see how that goes! hehe
Hi kathryn Sweetie :-)
ReplyDeleteI have TGWTDT on my "wish" list but my "to read" pile is quite high at the moment. I have heard great things about TGWTDT I am looking forward to a more detailed review once you are finished :-)
I am half way through "The Associate" By John Grisham. It definitely has my attention :-)
TTFN
Hope