Whodunnit: Favorite Mystery Series

From childhood, I always enjoyed a good mystery.  Clue was my favorite board game and scavenger hunts were adored.  What started my obsession with mysteries?  I’m not sure exactly, but if forced to hazard a guess I’d say Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, and Cam Jansen are responsible.  All characters in mystery series of my childhood, they inspired my love for the “Whodunnit”. 

Series writing is great because after a while, the characters begin to feel like extensions of my family or circle of friends–I love the familiarity!  I still enjoy mystery series today–they are fun, quick, and great for in-the-car listening.  A few of my favorite ’sleuths’ (for not all of them are technically detectives) are:

• Archy McNally (Lawrence Sanders/Vincent Lardo)
• Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich)
• Jim Qwilleran (Lilian Jackson Braun)
• Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis (Jonathan Kellerman)
• Kay Scarpetta and Pete Marino (Patricia Cornwell)
• Kinsey Milhone (Sue Grafton)

Does the mystery genre do it for you?  Any suggestions for great series detectives I’ve missed?  I hate to admit it, but I never got into Sherlock Holmes or any Agatha Christie (except the movie versions of Hercule Poirot with Peter Ustinov).

Blinded By the (Reading) Light

Recently, my husband was flipping through a catalog and came across a clever gadget for the bookworm in the family: a “Book Torch”.  The torch, a reading light that clips onto a book cover, was touted as a lamp that provides ample wattage for nighttime reading without disturbing anyone in the vicinity.  All this for the bargain price of $29.98, plus shipping and handling.

Based on the image that accompanied the copy, I thought the book light could, in a pinch, double as a beacon for ships trying to pilot into a foggy harbor from rough waters.

If only Captain Smith would have had this handy book light on the Titanic’s maiden voyage, disaster could have been averted and countless lives saved.  To my untrained eye, the book torch looks like it’s part of the position lights on a taxiing 747. 

Can these book lights really be so effective?  I thought the whole point of them is to allow your bed partner to slumber on without interruption while you do your nighttime reading.  If I fired this sucker up after crawling into bed, I’d not only singe my husband’s retinas, but most probably blind any and all neighbors in a 2-mile radius.

Blogging My Days Away

I recently read a startling statistic about internet addiction and faced the fact that I, too, am hooked on the internet.  Typically, I spend about 3 hours each night (M-Th) online, usually from 9p-12a, in addition to checking in on my blogs and email from my phone or work computer a few times during the day. 

In my own defense, we don’t have television here at the Amish Beach House (and haven’t for 9 years), so I get my news and entertainment online.  But still–3 hours 4 days a week?!  I’m averaging 13 hours a week online (with weekends), writing blog posts, commenting, writing reviews, watching the news, and surfing in general.  Total up all those hours and it adds up to roughly 4 weeks–ONE MONTH–of usage per year. *sigh*

Before Christmas (when Santa brought me an iPhone), I could only check in when I was near a computer.  Now I’m online while waiting at the Jiffy Lube or the grocery store.  I send emails from wherever I happen to be. 

I don’t log on as often during the weekend (except right now when I’m trying to avoid organizing the basement and garage) because my husband and I take day trips or have local adventures.  My weekend usage might be about 2 hours total.  I know that this is true for other bloggers too because my readership decreases on the weekends.

The thought of a power or internet provider failure strikes fear into my heart.  I’m going camping on a school trip in two weeks and know for a fact that there isn’t a cell-tower for many, many miles and I will be cut off from everything.  Will I survive?  It remains to be seen.

I can’t believe that I’m alone with my heavy internet usage.  On average, how much time to you spend online each week? 

They say it’s your birthday…

Today, April 23rd,  is  recognized as William Shakespeare’s birthday.  Baptismal records at Holy Trinity parish church in Stratford show an entry on April 26, 1564 and it is generally accepted that he was born three days prior.

In honor of William’s 445th birthday, I’d like to know how many of his 37 plays and/or 154 sonnets you’ve actually read.  While in college, I had an opportunity to study his works for three semesters with a terrific professor.  As a result, I navigated about one-third of the first folio.  

Despite what my students think, I don’t often curl up in a leather club chair near the hearth with a dusty tome of Shakespeare’s works–nor does my husband join me, donning a smoking jacket, deerstalker cap, and pipe.  The plays were written to be performed and as much as I enjoy reading them, they really come alive on the stage. 

So, what Shakespeare have you read?  Did you leave him safely behind you after school or do you check in with him every once in a while?  Have you seen any of the plays performed live?  I’ve seen a few performances at Shakespeare in the Park–free summer performances in Central Park–and a few of the plays at other theaters.