Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist

by Carol5 Comments
Empire of Sin focuses on New Orleans, 1890-1920. It's a compelling look at the politics, crime, and culture of the city. The mayhem starts with the killing of Police Chief Hennessy. The acquittal of the killers ignited mob violence that just astounded me. Around the same time, the vice-district Storyville was established. This era saw the birth of jazz, music that made some of the upper class in the city nervous. Jim Crow laws were established in the city, which, until this time, had been relatively tolerant of integration. We see New Orleans during WW 1 and prohibition. A lot happened in those years and the book is filled with names I was familiar with, especially the first generations of jazzmen. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but books like this make me wonder why not. The people in these pages are as fascinating, absurd, outrageous and inventive as any fictional characters. The things they do, from lynchings to shootouts to somehow keeping...
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The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

by Carol8 Comments
Amber's been reading Poe stories in her English class at school - it's a shame I borrowed her book. No, I'm not that mean, they have copies to read at school. But I do have to thank Michelle at Castle Macabre for making me pull the Poe stories out. It's given Amber and me the chance to talk about Poe stories in general and specifically "The Cask of Amontillado," since we both read that this month. Poe is many things, subtle not being one of them. "The Fall of the House of Usher" borders on the melodramatic, but in a good way. Poe's writing is ornate and poetic, which is probably why I find Poe best read aloud, even if it's just me reading to myself.  This story is very much a Poe story - we have several trademarks, from the just overall oppressive atmosphere to the crazy male lead to someone being buried alive, but it's a formula that works for him, that he...
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The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

by Carol8 Comments
I don't read much horror, but Michelle is hosting read-alongs of three of Poe's short stories at Castle Macabre this month and they fit in so well with RIP X that I decided to join her on a couple. My daughter is a huge Poe fan, so I borrowed her paperback copy of Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe. I wasn't sure about reading The Cask of Amontillado. Being buried alive is one of my fears, silly I know but that's beside the point. I may have read too many stories like Poe's when I was younger, but the victim here is bricked into a wall, which is somehow different. I don't want to tell too much about the story, it's only 9 pages long and you really should just take the few minutes and read it. A couple of things really stuck me, though. First is, as always, how much good short story writers can cram into those pages,...
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Macbeth: The Graphic Novel adapted by John McDonald, written by William Shakespeare

by Carol4 Comments
When I read Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh earlier this year, it made me want to re-read Shakespeare's Macbeth. Amber has had this graphic novel for a while and she enjoyed it, so I though it might be an interesting format to read the play. The dialogue is all the original, but the format obviously makes it feel different from reading the straight play. Macbeth is a great play and this is not a review of it. It's got witches and ghosts and murder and betrayal. It's really a fun tragedy, which is part of the reason I encouraged Amber to read it. She's not one to be afraid of classics, but Shakespeare's language can be daunting for anyone. The graphic novel makes it more accessible, you can see what's going on in addition to reading the dialogue. The illustrations are clean and colorful but not outstanding. I don't read many graphic novels, so take it for what it's worth, but the...
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When in Rome by Ngaio Marsh

by Carol4 Comments
When in Rome is my first TBR challenge pick. I haven't decorated my TBR jar yet, but when I do I'll post a picture. I have a jar and put about 11 titles in it, but I'll add to it as the year goes by. They're a mix of ones that have been sitting on my shelf for a while and recent additions to the list. Usually I wouldn't read two Marsh's so close together, but you just can't argue with random from a jar. When in Rome was first published in 1970 and you can tell in some of the dialogue and phrases, like groovy. It's also very drug heavy and there's a "party" that fits into the fictional version of the era. Aside from that, it's a typical Marsh mystery. Some interesting characters, Inspector Alleyn being his usual handsome, intelligent self.  The characters are a particularly interesting lot: a Dutch couple clearly in love; a man and his aunt, both rather...
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Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh

by Carol9 Comments
This was Marsh's last book and it seems appropriate that she returns to the theater as her backdrop. We know her as a mystery writer, but probably her great passion was the theater, and it shows. The real strength in this story is the play production. The murder actually doesn't take place until may two-thirds through the book with Alleyn only entering the story then. The play is Macbeth and the director is making it a memorable performance. The characters are wonderful, some maybe stereotypical, gabby and egotistical and "actory." But they all manage to work together. Apparently there are a lot of superstitions revolving aroung Macbeth and the story plays off them well, with some believers and some clearly not. I enjoyed seeing how they did scenes and practiced fights, witnessing the bickering and wooing. Alleyn is not a detective who lets us in on every little clue he sees, but he does pay attention to everyone, even children. He's a gentleman...
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