Ameise1's 2nd ABC challenge

I've finished my first ABC with authors and titles. It was an amazing time and a great project. I've got to know a lot of authors I would never have picked out in my local library at first sight. I'm glad that I did it and there are such good authors I'll definitely will read more from them.

Now I need a new challenge. This time it will be cities, towns, villages, places or locations.
I guess it won't be an easy task but nevertheless I'll give it a try.

There will be
no time limit
no read in order
no language preferences

Anopopei (a fictitious Pacific island)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #10 The Naked And The Dead by Norman Mailer

Beirut
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#14 Bride of a Bygone War by Preston Fleming

Crane (Longview - closest town to Crane)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#11 Road Kill by CM Spencer

Delhi
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#35 The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall

East End (London)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #28 Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie

Fair Hills (somewhere close to New Brunswick)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#21 My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates

Glasgow
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # 26 Random by Craig Robertson

Hampstead, London
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # 23 All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie

Islington (London)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # 30 Last 10 Seconds by Simon Kernick

Jerusalem
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # 34 Das Jesus-Video by Andreas Eschbach

Knoxville
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#24 Whispers of the Dead by Simon Beckett

Lansquenet-sous-Tannes (region) (France)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# 7 Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Milford
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#29 Fear The Worst by Linwood Barclay

New York
. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# 6 Summer Crossing by Truman Capote

O

Prague
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #19 Take Me to the Castle by F C Malby

Q

R

Salisbury
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #20 The Dark Room by Minette Walters

Trenton
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#22 Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

U

Venice

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #27 Die Feuer von Murano by Giuseppe Furno

Washington DC
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#25 ALONG CAME A SPIDER. by James Patterson

X

Yellowstone National Park
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#33 Back Of Beyond by c. J. Box

Zürich
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .#31 Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse by Thomas Meyer

Good luck!

Sounds interesting. Does the place have to be in the title, or just be the main location in the book?

The place has just to be the main location in the book.

N: city done New York



This was an interesting reading about young people spending a heated summer in New York in the 50s. They were from different society and were trying to escape from their own social class into the other. What first looks like a summer experiment which shouldn't have got any consequence, finally turns into the contrary where in the end there wasn't any possibility to turn back.

L: village done Lansquenet-sous-Tannes (region) France



It is a fantastic fairy tale for adults. It supports 'the good and the evil', 'the strong and the weak', the happy and the misfortune, the beloved and the detested. Like with all fairy stories it keeps one's on the edge always looking out for the next surprise, suffering with the good ones, wishing all evil the bad ones and always waiting for the ultimative happy ending.
It is fast-paced, well written and enjoyable to read. I can strongly recommend it.

OOh I like this idea. Maybe I'll copy it some day?

Welcome, I hope seeing your 'places' ABC tour. :-)
Happy reading to you.

A: Island done



I've read this book for 'The Banned Books' week. I'm glad that I've chosen this one. I'm very impressed and it crept beneath the skin. The characters are thoroughly described and I got quickly familiar with each of them. It's written so lively that I've got the feeling sitting directly among them. All the protagonists are representatives for the population in their personality, thinking, belief, fear, bitchiness and hope. As a reader I've got strongly positives as well as negatives feelings for them. I started to support efforts for the weak ones and hated the unjustness of the evil ones.
I've no idea, why this book was once banned. Perhaps it's the language. In my opinion the language fits perfectly. In war time there can't be a milk and honey language, but a rough and brutal language seems to be more appropriate.
I can strongly recommend it. a German literary critic (Marcel Reich-Ranicki) said:

I'm not sure if many books about WWII will stay, but for 'The Naked And The Dead' it will be for sure.

C: village done



I seldom give five stars for a book but in this case I don't have another possibility. It's an absolutely brilliant story. I would put it into the category of cosy mysteries. It's a mixture between Miss Marpel and Murder she wrote only in a modern version and set out in Canada.
I got quickly familiar with all characters. CM Spencer described them, the actions and the surrounding so vivid that I've felt being into the plot on my own, being a part of them as a ghostly observer. I suffered with Anna Nolan when she was trying to track down her ex-husband's murder in her unorthodox ways. Sometimes I felt to give her support or held her back on the other hand I had to roll my eyes and and could laugh out loud.
It's marvellously written and I wasn't able to stop the reading. It kept me guessing up until the very end if Anna will get him or not and this made me all tingly.

I can strongly recommend this book.

Sounds like a good one!

Hello Judy, it's an absolutely great story and I'm waiting for the second in serie. :-)

B: town done



Wow, what an enthralling plot! I couldn't put it away. It kept me breathless and I was urged to go on until the very last page. Right from the start I was dipped into the explosive world of the Middle East around the time of the 80s. Beirut wasn't anymore the Paris from the East. The war has divided the city into west and east with a lot of checkpoints, military forces and several intelligence services which play each other off against each other. In the middle of this setting a CIA agent is not only trying to do the best for his intelligence service but also to solve his former love live and saving his currently one.
I can strongly recommend this story.

Nice to see two high-rating reviews back-to-back! That is some great reading!

Thanks Lori! I've recently got some great Member Giveaways.

>14 Ameise1: That does sound interesting. I'll have to look for it.

I can strongly recommend it.

P: town done



History and politic are hidden within this love story. It's a great inside what people were and are thinking during the turmoil of the political changes in Europe in the 70s and 80s. As an European I was always impressed how people from the eastern part were crusading against their regimes with silent marches also hazarding the consequences to be arrested for their desire to be free.

Jana the main character of the story is struggling with the past and the future. She made a predication which is already overhauled by the present:

How could human nature be so vile? Would this happen again, further on in history, to different people groups and nations? Was this the beginning of further brutality? Where had it begun? Jana was feaful that an end to the communist regime might give rise to too much freedom and leave people open the perils of some other individual or regime - one that would sweep in and change the world around them with new and dangerous ideologies.

S: town done



It's an enthralling story from the first page until the very last one. Jane is suffering from an amnesia after an assumed suicide attempt. She is staying at a privat clinic whereas outside the incidents are in a turmoil. The police is believing that Jane is responsible for all murders which have taken place in the long and short past and they are trying hard to find enough evidences to convict Jane for all those dark doings. While Jane's doctor is trying to protect her from everybody she runs into mischief because she is trusting in her own kinship and those of her friends and can't see the danger.
It also kept me guessing until the very end if Jane would find her new love in her doctor.

F: village done



This story gives me a lot to think about upbringing, parental ambitions and the disastrous consequences. Also this is a fiction based on an unsolved murder case there is so much truth in it how a lot of children are suffering from parental ambitions be it in a sportive or art aspect or the offspring's schooling for their future career and becoming rich and famous. Everything is planned in advance without asking the children if they would like it this way. There is no room left for individual fulfilment neither any possibility to meet friends on their own because playdates are organised by their mothers. So, it's no wonder that the kids and the adolescents need therapy to survive. It's a shame what damages parents can do.

T: town done



It was an enjoyable reading. Sometimes I had to laugh out loud on the one hand Stephanie would like to be a hero and is stomping straight into a mess on the other hand she is acting like a coward and has to take her grandma with her as a kind of protection. Unfortunately she abandons her granny into dangerous situations, whereas the old lady seems to enjoy those situations and can be really tough. Nevertheless without the help of her 'might to be lover' she wouldn't be able to solve the case and couldn't get out of some delicate situations.

H: town done



That was a nice fast-paced reading. What I liked most was that the detectives weren't showing off like the most efficient or brutals cop. On the contrary both have a sensitive way to approach the target and dealing with the suspects. With the help of Jasmine's diaries and the talks to all the protagonists Duncan was able to see the solution. Duncan and his partner Gemma are starting to get know each other much better and Gemma could confide in Duncan with her privat matters.

K: town done



This was my third Beckett and as the two beforehand I enjoyed the reading very much. It is fast-paced and enthralling and kept me guessing until the very last page who is the evil one. David Hunter has left his British ground to join his friend in Tennessee. This trip should help him to recover and to pick up his courage for his work back in England. Although he was forced to vault his shadow his inquisitiveness to help solving the case was much bigger. He's got strength to help others and has found back his gut instinct on which he always can rely.

W: city done



This is the first of the Alex Cross series. After I've already read several others from this series, I'm really happy that I could read the first one and now being able to understand how everything started. It was a very fast-paced reading and it was gripping until the very last page. I couldn't put it aside. I love the psychological inside in Patterson's books and this one isn't standing behind.

G: city done



It's Robertson's first book of the Glasgow serie and an astonishing work. While there are six victims which all of them were brutally murdered, the insight of the killer's feeling and thinking are written very perceptively. First, I've had the feeling that the killer must be an insane person, because I wasn't able to see why he was killing randomly. By and by I was able to discover the brilliancy of his plan and couldn't stop reading. It kept me guessing until the very last page how he would manage it to stay undetected.

V: town done Venice



This is a wonderful story which is set up in the 16th century in Venice. It's a historical mystery wherein the inquisition with all its implication is manipulating the plot. The story starts with the blast in the arsenal. With this fulminant beginning all main characters are introduced, although one doesn't know it immediately. Andrea Loredan, an advocat for the poor and son of the Doge, is the centre of all characters. He keeps a tight rein on everything. On the one hand he tries to solve foul plays and therefore he has to help the good ones as well as the evil ones, on the other hand he has to unravel the puzzle his late mother has set. She was a member of a guild which were keeper of banned books. The inquisitors are to him on the heels. He is captured and has to serve his sentence on a galley which is involved in a naval battle with the Turkish armada. Back to Venice he is able to solve all the mysteries.
It is very gripping.

E: quarter in London done



This reading was very gripping. A woman (wife and mother of a little girl) went missing and nobody knows where she has gone. A couple of monthe later the husband went away and never returned. The little girl is staying with the anxiously nanny who is calling the husband's closest friend who is a friend of Gemma and Duncan and so the investigation is starting. Since a lot of rich and important persons are involved, the investigation can't be conducted straightforward. Therefore is Ducan's team working on an officially bases whereas Gemma and Melody are more going undercover. Gemma's reason to solve the crime is based on the girl's welfare which should go to live with her grandmother who is involved into drug traffic. During the investigation another major crime was discovered. Young girls, still children, from Asia were married to English men, were abused and sometimes murdered.
It was a breathtaking reading and let me guessing until the very last page who are the evil ones and how all parts are linked to each other.

M: town done



That was a very gripping reading. It tells the story how a father is looking for his teenage daughter who didn't turn up after work and everybody, he is asking about her whereabouts, turns him down. He fears the worst case and on his searching path there are more dead people than he wishes to have them. The police isn't much of a help and he is mostly on his own. Only his ex-wife and her new lover are helping him. During his investigation he stumbles across human trafficking and he gets nearly shot several times. It let me guess until the very last page how the outcome would be.

I: quarter in London done
Audiobook



It was gripping from the very first sentence. There are two crimes which are going on side by side. Whereas in one case a team is trying to solve the puzzle the other case is worked undercover. Both detectives which are responsible aren't aware that their cases are related to each other and therefore they get into big danger. When time goes by both become aware of having a mole amongst the police department. Even tough as a listener I could see how they had to struggle for solving the cases it let me guess until the very end about the outcome.

Z: town done ♫ Zürich



This was a fantastic listening. First, the story takes place in my home town Zürich. Second, the reading is a mix between German and Yiddish and I love this kind of mixed language. Third, it gaves a kind of insight how marriages are arranged in the Jewish culture. Wolkenbruch's mother is trying to find a wife for him. However, he has other plans for his life. Therefore he doesn't buy new galsses anymore from a Jewish shop, he doesn't like to wear black and white clothes and to the dismay of his family he is deeply in love with a non Jewish girl. He is struggling with his feelings for his family and a free life of convention.

Y place done



This was a very fast-paced gripping reading. It was the second book of the Cody Hoyt ’s series I’ve read. I like Hoyt’s character. He is rough, tough and is working cases against all normal police work.
This time he was chasing after a serial killer even though he was a long time the only one believing in murder. When he found out that his son was on a track with the murderer nothing could keep him back to go after them to protect his son.
The story is written in chapters which are changing between what’s happening on the track and how Cody is finding the trail. There are a lot of deaths on his path.
It kept me excited until the very last page.

J place done ♫ Listen in German



This was a very gripping listening. There is an archaeological dig around Jerusalem where a two thousand year old artefact was found, packed in as old linen which turns out to be a object of the future. The object are instructions for a video camera which will be developed three years later. Everybody is now looking for the video camera which is believed to be from a time traveller and contains a video about Jesus. There are a lot of parties involved such as the church, sponsor and archaeologists. Everybody has another agenda for the use of this video.

D city done Delhi

book 32

 The Case of the Man Who died Laughing

This is the second book of the Vish Puri series. It is a very amusing reading. I like the way Hall captures life, the smells, the sounds and emotions in Delhi and brings across us readers as authentic that we have to be right in the middle of this bustling city feel. The main theme in this story is about how people are guided by the charlatanism of gurus hoodwinked and partly lose not only their independent thinking but also their money and their lives. It is described as having 'magic' tricks that people are out there to believe in nonexistent miracle.
But also the private lives of Vish Puri seems to bring news. So his daughter is pregnant with twins and his 'detective' mother and his wife determine without Puris knowledge in a robbery.
It is a book where there is plenty to smile and laugh. I am looking forward to the next volume.