Dorothy St. James
Autor(a) de The Broken Spine
About the Author
Séries
Obras de Dorothy St. James
Birds In Paradise — Autor — 32 cópias
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Outros nomes
- McFalls, Dorothy
- Sexo
- female
- Local de nascimento
- New York, USA
- Locais de residência
- Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, USA
- Pequena biografia
- [excerpt from author's website]
Though writing has always been a passion for her, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology and a graduate degree in Public Administration and Urban Planning. She put her educational experience to use, having worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.
Switching from government service and community planning to fiction writing wasn't as big of a change as some might think. Her government work was all about the stories of the people and the places where they live. As an urban planner, Dorothy loved telling the stories of the people she met. And from that, her desire to tell the tales that were so alive in her heart grew until she could not ignore it any longer.
Membros
Resenhas
The Broken Spine de Dorothy St. James
Cute story, but ex-library books, if stamped with library’s name, with glued-on card holder, and after 20-50 years of being handled and stained and cover-torn… are no longer “collectible” even if first editions the day they were bought! $5 tops!!
A Book Club to Die For reminds me a bit of a cozy locked room mystery as we have a woman who is killed in a kitchen, with a variety of suspects and clues available to pursue if you know where to look. All of the regular characters are present in the book, and while I do find some of them particularly annoying, including Tru herself, the overall mystery was engaging and I always enjoy a mystery that features a book at its core.
First of all, the main characters True and Jace, while I do like them, are kind of wimpy in my estimation. Tru is controlled by her mother while Jace is controlled by his relationship with Tru and some of her behaviours, something that always rubs me the wrong way. And to keep blaming everything on Southern manners and traditions drives me bonkers. Tru is a grown-ass woman who can decisions for herself and to have her mother constantly nagging at her about what she eats, what she buys at the grocery store, and threatening to come to her house and clean out all her food is annoying. And to have to hide food in your own house from your mother? Maybe I don't understand southern thinking, but really? And Jace. To threaten someone's position on a force because of your relationship? I did think the other characters were interesting and really enjoyed the relationship Tru has with her best friend.
I did find the mystery to be interesting as there are book snobs to be found all over the world, and I love how the author includes that in her mystery. To have the mystery focused around an elite book club was fun, and I definitely enjoyed the irony and sarcasm around the comments in the book about people's reading preferences and styles and what they should be reading. And I liked how in a small town, such a book club could be incorporated into social status and be used to further one's career prospects. Philosophical clubs were used this way in the past (elite men's clubs), so it's not surprising to see them used this way in today's society, and the pressure to conform would be enormous.
The plot moved along rather quickly, and the pacing was even. Because of the nature of the murder, Jace was not allowed to investigate, so Tru got involved simply because she was there when it happened and people like to talk to her. The flow of conversations felt natural and Tru doesn't do stupid things like in other books or hinder the police in any way. I did find the solution to the mystery to be a bit bland, and wished it had been more complicated than it was so I felt a bit let down. The book does suffer from repetition, especially concerning the hidden library, something I still find a little silly, but I do love that cat. I think the discussions surrounding the use of technology versus the use of physical books to be quite fascinating, but the hidden library thing needs to be better developed. Anyone with an eye could figure out what was going on with that. And I'm still wondering if I should be upset at who died as she was a miserable piece of work. For the life of me, I just could have garner an ounce of sympathy.
Verdict
A Book Club to Die For is a light, cozy read that was fairly predictable and did have a tendency to ramble on at times, especially when it came to that secret library. The characters were typical, no one actually stood out, although I think Flossie's job needs to be explored more as that kind of rankled, and the mystery was light, fun, but so, so easy to figure out. If you are looking for a light, fun read, then this is definitely for you.… (mais)
First of all, the main characters True and Jace, while I do like them, are kind of wimpy in my estimation. Tru is controlled by her mother while Jace is controlled by his relationship with Tru and some of her behaviours, something that always rubs me the wrong way. And to keep blaming everything on Southern manners and traditions drives me bonkers. Tru is a grown-ass woman who can decisions for herself and to have her mother constantly nagging at her about what she eats, what she buys at the grocery store, and threatening to come to her house and clean out all her food is annoying. And to have to hide food in your own house from your mother? Maybe I don't understand southern thinking, but really? And Jace. To threaten someone's position on a force because of your relationship? I did think the other characters were interesting and really enjoyed the relationship Tru has with her best friend.
I did find the mystery to be interesting as there are book snobs to be found all over the world, and I love how the author includes that in her mystery. To have the mystery focused around an elite book club was fun, and I definitely enjoyed the irony and sarcasm around the comments in the book about people's reading preferences and styles and what they should be reading. And I liked how in a small town, such a book club could be incorporated into social status and be used to further one's career prospects. Philosophical clubs were used this way in the past (elite men's clubs), so it's not surprising to see them used this way in today's society, and the pressure to conform would be enormous.
The plot moved along rather quickly, and the pacing was even. Because of the nature of the murder, Jace was not allowed to investigate, so Tru got involved simply because she was there when it happened and people like to talk to her. The flow of conversations felt natural and Tru doesn't do stupid things like in other books or hinder the police in any way. I did find the solution to the mystery to be a bit bland, and wished it had been more complicated than it was so I felt a bit let down. The book does suffer from repetition, especially concerning the hidden library, something I still find a little silly, but I do love that cat. I think the discussions surrounding the use of technology versus the use of physical books to be quite fascinating, but the hidden library thing needs to be better developed. Anyone with an eye could figure out what was going on with that. And I'm still wondering if I should be upset at who died as she was a miserable piece of work. For the life of me, I just could have garner an ounce of sympathy.
Verdict
A Book Club to Die For is a light, cozy read that was fairly predictable and did have a tendency to ramble on at times, especially when it came to that secret library. The characters were typical, no one actually stood out, although I think Flossie's job needs to be explored more as that kind of rankled, and the mystery was light, fun, but so, so easy to figure out. If you are looking for a light, fun read, then this is definitely for you.… (mais)
When the library went high-tech, librarian Trudel secretly saved books from the landfill where they were supposed to go. Now, only select patrons can borrow books from the secret library, located in the library’s basement. It’s working out fairly well, until a dead body threatens to bring the walls crashing down on the secret room. Tru must decide how much to divulge to the police. If the body is not connected to the secret room, then maybe they don’t have to know about it. But if it is, Tru’s job there may come to an end. It’s an interesting mystery, with equally interesting characters. With a hint of romance yet to come, this series will keep readers wanting more.… (mais)
Trudell has been asked to speak at a very exclusive book club which is meeting at Hazel’s home. Hazel just happens to be her boyfriend’s mother. The leader of the group is bossy, opinionated, and feared by most everyone. She is also dead in the kitchen. The prime suspect? Hazel, of course. The lead detective believes it, even if others don’t. Trudell’s boyfriend, also a detective, is prohibited from doing any investigating, which is why he seeks Tru’s help. It also appears that if Tru can prove Hazel innocent, she will unwillingly cast suspicion on another friend. It’s a well written mystery that will keep readers in suspense. The main characters are quite likable, and their side stories adds much interest to the tale.… (mais)
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Estatísticas
- Obras
- 11
- Membros
- 493
- Popularidade
- #50,127
- Avaliação
- 3.6
- Resenhas
- 57
- ISBNs
- 58
- Idiomas
- 1
- Favorito
- 1