Replies

@Cheri Must it be either/or decision? How about this: 1. finish your Ellie Tappet and Kat V. books already in progress, 2. keep taking notes and world building on the space opera as things come to you, 3. after the current Kat V. novel is out, focus on Ellie Tappet as long as ideas keep coming and the Muse is with you. That way you can pay the bills. Even a couple of years of Ellie Tappet alone is no bad thing. Eventually you'll need a break from Ellie. I'm thinking that the space opera will be that much richer when it finally breaks out of it's vat and you just have to write it, NOW. And same way with Kat V., eventually you'll get back to her when it feels right to you. Or something like that. In any event, what works for you is the right answer.

I kinda say all that for a selfish reason: as a fan, I don't want Kat V. "finished off" just yet. And I'm willing to wait for that story to continue on in it's own time. :-)

@odd I must confess, at the time I was willing to give trickle down economics a try. Now, after 30 or 40 years of trying I'm calling BS on it.

@MitchWagner Thanks for that. I have not read any of the Spencer novels and I really must do.

@macgenie It's a shame we didn't overlap on authors, but I do thank you very much for responding and trying.

I've read most all of the Grand Dames: Christie, Sayers, Marsh and they are my favorites. Camileri I have not read, and I should, but I have seen all the Montalbano TV series (there are over 20 episodes I believe each about 90 minutes long) and they are excellent. Lovesey I'll have to try out, thanks! Rendell, I can't remember if I have read her or not. I'll blame age.

I hope you'll take my list as recommendations, each mystery author is very different but they all bring good things to the table.

Thanks again.

@macgenie

1. Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny

2. Daisy Dalrymple mysteries by Carola Dunn

3. Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M. C. Beaton

Bonus series:

Pitkirtly Mysteries by Cecilia Peartree

Kat Voyzey mysteries by Cheri Baker

@RossA I really like the idea of 'Pumpkin Trails' that seems like a good compromise during the pandemic.

@jeannie I used to live on a busy highway and never had any trick or treaters. Then I moved to this community and there are lots of kids. It's fun seeing the different costumes and reminds me of when I was a kid and got so excited for Halloween.

@yorrike My XR just updated to iOS 14.01 or something last night. I'm hoping that has a fix.

@yorrike Thanks for posting this. I only had this happen once, by the time I noticed I was down to 30% power by Noon and I hadn't really used the iPhone. I thought I had not placed the phone on the charge plate correctly the night before.

@macgenie I've watched a lot of JayveeTV! He's really good, and you are right, he brings a lot of joy to it.

Each reactor has something that really moves them deeply. Sincerely KSO has the most wonderful, emotional reactions to romantic stuff like the Rightous Brothers, or great performers like Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers. And I'm learning as they go along too.

@dejus @Ron To be sure, we have our share of calamities. But here in "fly-over country" high excitement tends to be about opening a new bottle of Ranch dressing at a cookout.

@Ron Yeah I'm in IN, which has no particular bragging rights as a great place but like most of the Midwest, it might be boring but it isn't burning nor getting slammed by hurricanes every year. Ron, you and I are at an age where we don't want to be evacuating all the time so yeah, the Midwest suits us like Hobbits in the Shire. Boring but stable.

@jamesdasher Ohio has some nasty speed traps on the Ohio Turnpike. I'll leave it at that. :-)

@fgtech Oh rub it in! :-) Dog days of summer here, although we have a cold front moving in this coming week.

@fgtech Thanks for letting me know. I'll post more if they seem noteable. It's been very dry here so everyones lawn is brown and crunchy if they have not been watering.

@odd One of the reasons I'm reading the books is to see how they contrast with the movies. When I was a kid one of our local TV stations would alternate Charlie Chan movies with the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies every Sunday during the winter so I've seen them all many times although it's been many decades ago. Plus Kobo had all the Charlie Chan novels in an ebook bundle at a really good price.

@jemostrom That’s what sold me on the Forester. The roof does not curve down as much so I don’t have to duck under it to get in.

@artkavanagh Interesting classification system. Why do you think it fails on "the Northern"?

@Marty Interesting about the pensions. Congress imposes a lot of restrictions on USPS (ie Saturday delivery, rates, etc.) which are a burden if they are expected to be profitable.

@SciPhi The idea, when the USPS was turned into a gov't corporation was that it should be run as a business and at least break even. To my knowledge that has never happened and they always needed more funds from Congress. Yet in spite of that the USPS has done a good job of delivering the mail. I just think we should get rid of the fiction that it should be run like a business - run it like it used to be as a dept of gov't and the cost is the cost, since it is a needed service.

@odd Such a good spy film. All of Hitchcock's spy movies are good but North by Northwest is his best IMHO.

@manton This may help you in the future: Spy 100 Project Indepth reviews of 100 spy movies.

@manton I quite agree with you on the Michael Caine movies, the first two are outstanding and the third one is terrible.

I do recommend "The 39 Steps" - This is the 1959 (Cold War) version with Kenneth More. (The Hitchcock version is also excellent - 1935 - so it's Germans as the antagonist. I prefer the Cold War setting of the More version.)

@simonwoods I think, if I was forced to pay for social networks like Twitter et al., I'd rather pay to host my own social network of some sort.

@Cheri I just bookmarked this for future reference. Thank you for writing this, it makes it all so clear.

I guess I read all of them but I have a particular soft spot for Traditional, Amateur, Hard Boiled and some cozies.