tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post7412385068328666053..comments2024-03-28T15:17:03.077-04:00Comments on Type M for Murder: Is crime fiction the “comfort food” of literature?Barbara Fradkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06992196707567972990noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-7608903785862057192017-06-21T18:29:42.637-04:002017-06-21T18:29:42.637-04:00These are all some great -- and interesting -- opi...These are all some great -- and interesting -- opinions.<br /><br />Thanks everyone for weighing in on this!Rick Blechtahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11800052815589987998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-77469620657932741712017-06-21T18:05:58.557-04:002017-06-21T18:05:58.557-04:00Donna, I own all of Pauline Gedge's Egyptian b...Donna, I own all of Pauline Gedge's Egyptian book. She is wonderful.Donis Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207228706777377242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-64837695484340536192017-06-21T10:39:09.228-04:002017-06-21T10:39:09.228-04:00Oh boy!A question right up my alley: Pauline Gedge...Oh boy!A question right up my alley: Pauline Gedge for her ancient Egyptian books; Candace Robb,Ellis Peters and Ariana Franklin for their medieval mysteries; Charles deLint for fantasy; Phil Rickman for mystery/horror and Steven Saylor for Gordianus. These are all re reads and I find them comforting. I know what to expect and can put them down at any time without a qualm. Donna Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11491130884085643521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-70278503755546794462017-06-21T09:33:29.106-04:002017-06-21T09:33:29.106-04:00I almost never re-read books. There's just too...I almost never re-read books. There's just too much new stuff coming up. But in the Lighthouse Library series they have a classic novel book club, and when I start writing a new book I need to read what they are reading. Right now I'm into The Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers. The writing style is so different than what's normal these days, I am enjoying it, but I don'Vicki Delanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01106480550553972177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-15218464377548945122017-06-21T09:16:09.531-04:002017-06-21T09:16:09.531-04:00My earliest inspiration in the mystery/crime genre...My earliest inspiration in the mystery/crime genre was James M. Cain. I devoured "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Double Indemnity" before moving on to the more complex "Mildred Pierce." He reigns supreme, in my opinion. Few tell as good a story with so few words. He should be required reading for anyone writing in this genre. I often reread his novels to remindEileen Goudgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01156415980783091338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-9169547703337563292017-06-20T20:07:21.230-04:002017-06-20T20:07:21.230-04:00One of the reasons I find the movie "Fargo&qu...One of the reasons I find the movie "Fargo" and its TV incarnations interesting is because of the accents of the characters. My parents grew up in the northwestern part of Minnesota, not that far from Fargo, ND, so the accents my relatives had are similar. Kind of comforting, strangely enough, in the madness that's in those stories.Sybil Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931984219413146614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-63214782624723573902017-06-20T19:27:38.107-04:002017-06-20T19:27:38.107-04:00That's a good point about the rhythm of the wr...That's a good point about the rhythm of the writing, Sybil. In reflecting on that, I can understand why the Nero Wolfe books attract me so much, coming from the New York City area as I do. I know so many of the locations Stout uses, especially when Archie goes "upstate" in various books. The speech patterns of most of the characters are so quintessentially New York, and that's Rick Blechtahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11800052815589987998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-36780183551497539342017-06-20T18:45:09.817-04:002017-06-20T18:45:09.817-04:00For me, it's Agatha Christie, the Miss Silver ...For me, it's Agatha Christie, the Miss Silver novels by Patricia Wentworth and the Aunt Dimity books by Nancy Atherton. I find comfort in all of them. Something about the rhythm of the writing in the Aunt Dimity books calms me down considerably. Sybil Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931984219413146614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30210943.post-20468038883978690292017-06-20T16:37:54.324-04:002017-06-20T16:37:54.324-04:00For me it's historical novels or foreign setti...For me it's historical novels or foreign settings. I can go back over and over again to a setting/time period that interests me just as much as I enjoy going somewhere cool during a Phoenix summer. I've read Colleen Mc Cullough's Roman series several times, Ellis Peters' Bro Cadfael set in 12th century England/Wales. Love Lindsay Davis' Falco series, and Stephen Pressfield'Donis Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207228706777377242noreply@blogger.com