My Favorite Reads & A Blog Award!

Each Thursday, Alyce at http://athomewithbooks.blogspot.com/ features a favorite book from the past. I love this idea and often participate. You can, too! Don't forget to leave a comment on her blog with a link to yours.

My Favorite Read this week is an author, rather than a specific novel. I've chosen Simon Brett. He is a British author who writes the Charles Paris mysteries. I can't really say which mystery is my favorite because, really, they kind of blend together... which is, definitely, not to say that they are bad. To the contrary, actually... that's why I've chosen them for My Favorite Reads.

Charles Paris is a somewhat down-on-his-luck, over-the-hill British actor and, even according to him, not a very good one. He is also a bit of a drinker which can help, as well as sometimes, hinder his "investigations". I've always enjoyed "theater" mysteries as well as mysteries set in England and the Charles Paris mysteries combine both. In my mind's eye, Charles Paris looks very similar to Simon Brett... just a little more worse-for-wear.

He usually finds himself in a second or even third-rate theatrical production, still hoping to someday make it "big". He stumbles (as all amateur detectives do) into the investigation of the murder of someone associated with that production. Of course, he solves the murder and the show, usually, goes on. There is a supporting cast... his ex-wife and daughter, with whom he has an on-again/off-again relationship as well as his longtime manager who books Charles into these productions.

Even though, he could, very easily, be written as a sad character, I think Simon Brett has taken care to paint him so that the reader really likes him. I also like that the production is central enough that I don't feel like it's just used as a setting. Does that make sense? What I mean is that in some theatrical mysteries I've read, the production is almost an afterthought...like the author just needed to set the mystery somewhere and the theater was as good a setting as anything else. In the Charles Paris mysteries, Simon Brett writes enough about the production that it's crucial to the plot. He also uses both real pieces, such as Shakespeare, as well as made-up plays. Charles Paris, being the actor he is, would, most definitely, find employment in both. When Brett uses well-known theater productions, he tends to tie its plot to the plot of the murder. While I don't read mysteries with the sole intention of solving it, it causes me to try to put the two together.

As much as I love these mysteries, I don't think Simon Brett has written one in quite a while. He has a few other series that, I think, he has been writing lately. I've read a few, and while, I enjoy them, they haven't held my attention like the Charles Paris series. Charles Paris mysteries were, definitely, purchased in hardback as soon as they were published where the Mrs. Pargeter and the Feathering mysteries were either checked out at the library or, maybe, bought as paperbacks. That, really, defines My Favorite Reads... whether or not I buy a book in hardback or wait until it comes out in paperback.

Thanks to Carin at http://carolinebookbinder.blogspot.com/ for this great blog award. Please check out her blog for the bloggers (besides me) to whom she also gave the award.

This award is passed on to bloggers who are kind-hearted individuals. These bloggers regularly leave comments, answer questions, offer support, and in general are superbly kind! The blogs that these lovely individuals write are resourceful, knowledgeable, and just plain awesome! For a new blogger, these people are invaluable. I'm passing on this award to...

Diane at http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/
Karen at http://karenintx.blogspot.com/
Michele at http://readersrespite.blogspot.com/
Lori at http://lori-thequeensnewthrone.blogspot.com/
Cyndy at http://www.puttingthefunindysfunctional.com/
JoJo at http://jo-jolovestoread.blogspot.com/

J returns home tomorrow from his Spring Break trip. According to the one phone call home...lol... he's having an awesome (his word) time. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. While he's been away, M and I have spent the week doing fun things. We saw The Blind Side (LOVE it!!) for the second time, we went to lunch and shopped with my Mom... yeah,she bought M a bunch of clothes (she said since J was on vacation, M deserved some new clothes... spoken like a true grandmother...lol)and today we hung out at the bookstore for a while. We also shared a Dark Cherry Frappucino. We were excited to see that the girl at the B&N Starbucks was named the same as M. It was even spelled the same way which is not the most common spelling of her name. M found a sequel that she had been waiting for so we bought that.



My bag today was my Coach Patchwork Gallery Tote. There are two Coach outlets near me... well, what I consider near me ;o)... about forty-five minutes away. I've only been to the Castle Rock outlet and bought this purse there a few years ago. Another time I was there, I saw the matching wristlet and didn't buy it. What was I thinking?!? Every single time I use this purse, I think about that damn wristlet. Why I didn't buy it, I'll never know! My favorite part of the bag is the embossed leather front pocket. I'm not a fan of a lot of pockets on my bags, as I think it can ruin the look and I never use them anyway. This pocket, though, is more of a design element in my opinion.

I hope you come back tomorrow for Book Blogger Hop. This is a fun way to find other great bloggers who love books as much as you do... and maybe bags as much as I do!!! Is that even possible? I'm sure it is!

See you tomorrow!