Lately with philately

When was the last time you paid any attention to stamps? With our increasing reliance on email, I doubt if anyone still collects or studies stamps anymore. The soon-to-be-lost study of stamps, called philately, is one of the themes of Alan Bradley's wonderful debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, a tightly written and hugely enjoyable mystery.

TSBP is set in 1950s England and centers on precocious 11-year-old Flavia de Luce. Flavia appears to be the black sheep in the family. Her father is a recluse who still mourns the loss of his wife several years ago; her two older sisters, Ophelia and Daphne, make it a point to torment Flavia's existence at every chance they get. Ophelia and Daphne couldn't be blamed though, for Flavia oftentimes steal their belongings and frequently concocts mild poisons to put in their lipstick. All four of them live in an English country house who has seen better days with their cook and their father's assistant, Dogger.

One day, the de Luce's idyllic existence is thrown into chaos when Flavia discovers a murdered man in their garden. Flavia then takes it upon herself to determine all the details about the murder, one that would involve his father and unearthing dark family secrets involving stolen stamps, prestidigitation, and birds in a pie. The result is one murder mystery that is very, very satisfying.

Bradley's writing is sparse yet full of details. His characterization of Flavia, one with both the brilliance and naïveté of childhood, is flawless. With Flavia, Bradley has come up with a character that you love more and more as you progress through the novel. You'll overlook her faults, cheer her on when she's in a bind, and celebrate her triumphs and discoveries. We will all see a facet of our childhood in Flavia.

TBSB has all the elements that recall classic English mysteries -- a poisoned body, family secrets waiting to be exposed, a decaying English country house, and dysfunctional family members. In the hands of less capable novelists, these elements would translate to rip-offs of the novels of Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Dorothy Sayers, and P.D. James. The way Bradley weaves these elements together, however, is refreshing and uncontrived; TBSP is one of the most ingenious novels I've read this year. I think TBSP would even appeal to fans of the Nancy Drew series and even of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

TBSP is the first Flavia de Luce mystery and it has recently been released to a wider audience only this year. I'll surely be on the hunt for the next Flavia de Luce mystery since I think that, for lack of a better expression, Flavia rocks.

Read this book if:

1. You love precocious children.
2. You were always curious about why people collect stamps.
3. You love death by poison.

The Bookshelf Project #18

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from Paul, a doctor from Suffolk UK. Here are two pictures, shot at different angles, of his gorgeous bookshelf.



I'm getting a very classic and homey vibe Paul's bookshelves. And that table with the chairs is just the perfect spot to have your coffee in the morning, don't you think?

A pleasant surprise

I've been having an attack of the reader's block again this weekend, so I decided to arrange the books that I have on my TBR pile. I've noticed that my TBR pile hasn't grown as much during the last few days. I checked my calendar for any books that I have bought recently (I'm OC that way) and, much to my surprise, I realized that I haven't bought any new ones in the last two months! Woohoo!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this at all, especially with my new job that requires me to work some very unusual hours. And I've now come to the conclusion that work does indeed get in the way of reading. Wouldn't it be great to get a job that lets you read the books all the books that you like and pay good money for reading them? Isn't that a book lover's wet dream?

Anyway, I haven't always been comfortable with the idea of being in a self-imposed no-book-buying rule, although I did attempt these in the past with some success. This is the first time, however, that I unconsciously went through several weeks without buying any new books. The feeling is very gratifying, especially after counting all the money I've virtually saved.

Diane at her blog challenges book bloggers to read books that are already in their shelves. I'm not big on reading challenges, but I think I'll check this one out.

The Bookshelf Project #17

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from Thomas, a fellow who writes one of the most insightful book reviews. Check out his blog here.







I love his collection, especially his classics! I'm particularly envious of his Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time books. And I could see that he'll be needing more bookshelves soon!

What do you think of his bookshelves, dear reader?

Good news, good news

People who are into intelligent and racy reading may actually live longer. At least that is what's implied here. This is exactly what I need to hear, especially after knowing that the word "unfriend" is probably here to stay. Since I plan to read all of Collins's novels and Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, I figured I need to live until I'm 80, at least.

I wonder what constitutes "intelligent and racy" reading though. I bet Hawking's A Brief History of Time (which I haven't read) counts for intelligent reading. Are the Gossip Girl novels considered racy? And, can we actually have a book that's both intelligent AND racy. Hmmmm... Offhand, I think I've read lots of racy novels: Judith Krantz, Jackie Collins, and Harold Robbins.

Any suggestions on intelligent and racy reads, dear reader?

Unfriend

The New Oxford American Dictionary has picked its word of the year, and that word is "unfriend." When asked as to the criteria for choosing that ghastly word, it cited that "unfriend" is very current and has the potential for longevity. I just cringe reading about this piece of news.

I'm not a language purist and I love how dynamic English is, but celebrating a grammatically incorrect usage of a particular word does not bode well for the next generation. I'm not comfortable with using the word "friend" as a verb, much less its negative. Surely we can think of other quirky words that appear frequently this year which are used correctly.

How long before "unfriend" finds its way into fiction and (gasp!) our textbooks? Would our children and children's children ever learn that the true context of the word does not necessarily involve social networking sites? Argh...

How about you, dear reader? Are you peeved about this word? Or is some other word bugging you? Let me know. Perhaps we can "friend" each other in Facebook.

Novellas by Collins (part one)

I can't get enough of Collins's works lately, and what better way to get my Collins fix than by reading his shorter works. Collins's novellas still have his trademark narrative -- the pervasive atmosphere of dread and malice and a touch of elegant mystery elements. If you haven't read Collins yet, dear reader, then I suggest you check out these three novellas.

Oxford World's Classics collected three of Collins's most famous novellas -- Miss or Mrs?, The Haunted Hotel, and Guilty River. Miss or Mrs? and Guilty River can be read in one sitting, as each averages 100 pages long. The longest, The Haunted Hotel, runs for 160.

Miss or Mrs? is a fast-paced novella. It puts all our contemporary thrillers to shame. Collins combines the elements of fraud, murder, secret marriage, and blackmail to create 80 pages of one wonderful narrative. Marriage is a major theme especially in Collins's later works, and in Miss or Mrs?, marriage again plays a prominent role. In England during the mid-1800s, marriage was one way of obtaining a respectable income and we see how the novella's villain, Richard Turlington, hopes to pay off his business debts by marrying into a well-to-do family.

The Haunted Hotel is a very atmospheric read. It seems like a ghost story at first, but the reader is really in for a surprise. If you've read The Moonstone, which many people consider as the first detective novel, you know what I mean. The novella is very eerie and it's episodes of hauntings in the Venetian hotel are indeed hair-raising. Again, murder figures prominently in this work, with the scene of the murder (a room in the hotel) serving as the setting for all those mysterious ghostly apparitions.

I still haven't finished Guilty River though. But I just wanted to immediately share how I had a fantastic time (again) reading Collins. Now I know why he was the most popular novelist during his time. At one point, he even surpassed his good friend Charles Dickens in book sales.

Read these novellas if:

1. You want to sample Collins's wonderful works.
2. You're craving for well-written thrillers.
3. You can't get enough of sensational fiction.