December 2010: What are you reading?

annis · Post by **annis** » Mon December 20th, 2010, 6:55 pm

Having a break from HF and reading [url=ttp://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/colin-cotterill]Colin Cotteril[/url]l's wonderfully out there, qurky set of mysteries set in Laos in the mid-1970s. The main character is an elderly doctor appointed State Coroner due to lack of anyone else remotely suitable.

Blurb for The Coroner's Lunch, Bk 1 in the series

"In Laos in the year 1976, the monarchy has been deposed, and the Communist Pathet Lao have taken over. Most of the educated class has fled, but Dr Siri Paiboun, a Paris-trained doctor remains. And so this 72-year-old physician is appointed state coroner, despite having no training, equipment, experience or even inclination for the job. But the job's not that bad and Siri quickly settles into a routine of studying outdated medical texts, scrounging scarce supplies, and circumnavigating bureaucratic red tape to arrive at justice. The fact that the recently departed are prone to pay Siri the odd, unwanted nocturnal visit turns out to be an added bonus in his new line of work. But when the wife of a party leader turns up dead and the bodies of tortured Vietnamese soldiers start bobbing to the surface of a Laotian lake, all eyes turn to Siri. Faced with official cover-ups and an emerging international crisis, the doctor enlists old friends, village shamans, forest spirits, dream visits from the dead - and even the occasional bit of medical deduction - to solve the crimes."

Brenna · Post by **Brenna** » Mon December 20th, 2010, 6:59 pm

[quote=""Misfit""]Had to go back to Amazon and double check my review to make double sure. Yes, that is the order and IIRC when reading up on these you're best to stay with one publisher as different publishers have broken these up differently. You might 1) overlap storylines or 2) miss out things by switching around. I know these are huge books but I loved them to bits. I loved the relationship and antics when Louis fell hard of de Valliere and they tried to hide it all from Minette.

Not positive, but the Dumas that comes in the kindles are I think from the very early 1900's editions. Did your download include the six books in the French Revolution series?[/quote]

I downloaded The Count of Monte Cristo and The Man in the Iron Mask all separately as they were the free ones. I didn't think about using different publishers, etc. I do believe there is a set of 6 books that you can download on the Kindle. I will look...

Nefret · Post by **Nefret** » Mon December 20th, 2010, 7:17 pm

[quote=""Misfit""]I have the Oxford World Classics. Be warned, don't read the forwards until you are done. Nasty nasty spoilers in them

[/quote]

Oh, thanks! I'll have to look for those. I try not to read the forwards.

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Mon December 20th, 2010, 8:05 pm

I've just started A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry.

Amanda · Post by **Amanda** » Mon December 20th, 2010, 8:45 pm

[quote=""Misfit""]I have the Oxford World Classics. Be warned, don't read the forwards until you are done. Nasty nasty spoilers in them

[/quote]

I have the Oxford World Classics, and they have great footnotes that help fill in some of the historical truths and Dumas embellishments.

Kasthu · Post by **Kasthu** » Mon December 20th, 2010, 11:42 pm

Now reading The Saracen Blade, by Frank Yerby, a book that's been on my shelf for ages.

donroc · Post by **donroc** » Tue December 21st, 2010, 12:10 am

Finally getting around to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Tue December 21st, 2010, 3:33 am

Started The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridls. Liking it so far but because I read Last Queen, I am getting confused because of the number of characters with similar names. I think I need some kind of overlapping time line....But I'll figure it out.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Tue December 21st, 2010, 12:41 pm

Almost done with The Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien. Bah! It scares me what she'll be doing with Eleanor of Aquitaine next year

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Tue December 21st, 2010, 4:37 pm

Finished my commuting book The World Without Us by Alan Weisman about the what would happen to the earth if people suddenly vanished. Except for the nuclear plant hot spots and oil refinery blazes; it will do quite nicely. Have just started Isabelle Allende's Infinite Plan. Almost finished Judth Tarr's Writing Horses--nonfiction ebook. And still slogging through my "bed" book, Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough.