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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Thursday’s Tale: Please, Malese! by Amy MacDonald

by Carol2 Comments
Today's Tale is a retelling of a story from Haiti. The back of the book explains that in Haiti, the trickster is known as Malese, derived from the French "malice". Sometimes Malese is evil and sometimes he is mischievous, but above all, he enjoys taking advantage of people, including his friends who can't seem to catch on to his cunning ways. This story was adapted from the original, "The Magic Island", written in 1929 by W.B. Seabrook This book is just pure fun. The pictures are gorgeous, simply drawn but full of vibrant colors. Malese tricks his neighbors into giving him everything from shoes to rum for a cake. The end up throwing him in jail for a month, but of course Malese is pretty sly. By the end, not only is he out of jail, but his neighbors are fixing up his house for him—for free of course. At first I thought it's kind of a shame that Malese never learns...
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