Gentle SPECTRUMS discussion

Better late than never.

I need to look through mysteries I've read so far this year and crack down on reading more for this challenge. Enjoyed updating the thread last year.

I am so behind on reviewing this year so a lot I've read isn't up here on GR or my website yet

I'm happy to say I've been in a big mystery mood the past two months and getting several read.

AGATHA CHRISTIE

I've gotten to read quite a bit of Hercule Poirot this year, which was one of my goals

So far in 2017 I read

Murder in Retrospect, also known as Five Little Pigs, was a very good one and a favorite

Evil Under the Sun - good but not sure why it's so highly rated in comparison for some of the other Poirot books

The A.B.C. Murders - A serial killer vibe. Hastings and Poirot reunite as friends.

Cards on the Table - Particularly fascinating. Poirot is invited to a special dinner with other crime solvers.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - One of her most famous. Loved it.

I'd like to also read these this year:

Witness for the Prosecution
Hallowe'en Party
Murder in the Mews
Elephants can Remember
Hickory Dickory Dock

COZIES

I've finally started reading the Piper Martin series. They are fun and fluffy but have that paranormal bent. The love triangle is annoying but they are easy to read and hard to put down for some odd reason.

Have read the first four:



Other cozies that were fun this year --

Twelve Slays of Christmas - 3 stars
Elementary, She Read - 5 stars
The Readaholics and the Gothic Gala - 3 stars
The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle - 3 stars

OTHER MYSTERIES

Every Dead Thing - 4 stars. First intro to the dark Charlie Parker. Will read more of this series later.

Still Life With Crows - 5 stars. My favorite of the Pendergast books so far. Loved it!

Brimstone - 4 Stars. Series still going strong. The end was weird but the build-up was great

Wait for What Will Come - I've only read one of my Barbara Michaels plan so far this year. Shame! This one was good but I wish we had seen even more of the paranormal aspect it hinted at

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Good and creative mystery that turns into a thriller later

Hi Erin! It's all right. As long as you eventually link at "My Kind Of Mystery" blog page (even if it's after Christmas). Meanwhile, what a creative way to organize in our group, the categories of your mystery kick! I am enjoying it! You tempt me with a few titles I don't already own; as if I need to add to my happily waiting thousands. ;> "Bright Ideas Bookstore" looks neat. I had great success with an out-of-town used book shopping trip too, in which some were authors I've wanted more of but most were new gems I can't wait to try!

I own several of Casey Daniels but took a long pause after the first. I was lukewarm about it but had a feeling it had special potential. Something about it made me expect an improved, fun ride in the others. I have been savouring Barbara Michaels in order of those I own. "Greygallows" is next: finally another colour for "Gentle Spectrums" and unrelated, my birth year! :)

Casey Daniels definitely aren't perfect books but they're good for relaxing fun if this makes sense. I know I've read Greygallows before but will have to double check my thoughts on it.

I've been having a conversation about the northern Manitoba forest fires being out after a brief scare and praying the threats in British Columbia and Alberta are overcome. I wished healing for Texans who endured flooding. Kristianne, I believe you are near there. Perhaps you could tell us how things are in Texas. I don't know whether or not the power and internet work there.

I lately request banding together in prayer so that Florida stands against a storm that has hit the islands and the west coast this week-end. In that state we are fond of peers like Bonnie Shore and I am friends with our own Erin Williams. She last wrote that losing power was likely for central Florida, which thankfully isn't likely to be damaged or evacuated and that she was once without power for eight days.

I have just heard that 5.7 million Floridians are without power and imagine Erin's city is among them. However the dismaying story CNN just quoted about an estimate in weeks "to restore power to everyone", must pertain to the badly hit places, like the islands. We want those folks back home and functioning much sooner than that but here's hoping the wait is much shorter everywhere possible. Erin, we'll be glad to hear from you when you have a report. All of our Love, your peers at Gentle Spectrums and Goodreads.

I appreciate the kind thoughts and post, Carolyn.

I am still without power at home unfortunately. Work has power restored, so this is our first day back and the way I am able to get on now. I am not working until next Monday after today - so I am crossing my fingers that my power will get restored today!! Definitely ready for electricity, hot water, internet and access to cooking food and coffee again! :) Even my kitties are too hot to be lap cats!

The hurricane turned and did hit Polk County/do more damage than originally anticipated. They said it was hitting category 1 but ended up being category 2 according to Lakeland Electric and anyone actually going through it - the information is inconsistent. FEMA is not offering any assistance to Polk County yet because they said there have not been enough claims for this area --- but most are without power and cell phone reception has been awful, so that could be why they haven't gotten more reports yet.

I lost a lot of shingles on my roof so am filing a claim for a roof replacement help or loan. There is no leaking inside the house but I filled up a garbage bag full of shingles and see a moving shingle still attached at the top. I also had screen room damage in five panels ripped out. My mother and aunt's place also got roof damage. My boss had roof damage and misc. I know of two people who completely lost their carports, and several who lost complete roofs that flew off. Hopefully FEMA is coorperative about helping us soon.

Overall I am blessed and thanking God I still have a house at all to go to and that everyone I know here is safe. It sped up and downgraded so the catastrophic potential and death toll if it had been higher is much less - so happy about that of course!!

Erin, thank you for writing to us as soon as a way was available! It doesn't seem that our group really gets read, which is unfortunately because my Wordpress blog has not wanted to open lately, at my slow internet speed. However I am thrilled to hear how you are by e-mail or any way possible. Thank you for sharing some of your communication resource with us!

A few questions: when did you get a second kitten or cat? That's a huge announcement. :) I was glad to share our kittens' birthday September 7 before there were storms, even though Conan wasn't here for this one. I spoiled his sisters and took a lot of great photos of Angel & Petal. I need to get a photo with them, as per tradition. Warm weather and rain still this week but their brother can only be closer to coming home.

Do you have a trailor or house? You said "shingles". Is a trailor something one could stay in? You're supposed to seek a basement. It must be terrifying to know it's flying over you? I think the lowest dangerous wind storm is tornado. They are bad enough and we're gratefuly they only occur once maybe, in 30 years and they are choosy. I wonder if that's why they're considered less dangerous than hurricanes, cyclones (a synonym?), typhoons, psunamies (synonym), as well as lower power. I think tornadoes can miss a bunch of stuff. Maybe hurricanes are the same, dipping here and there. Maybe that's why a lot of people are safe. I hope they don't damage everything in an area.

In 1987 a small tornado passed through Winnipeg. I don't remember it so it must have been very brief or at night. I remember worrying about funnal clouds at the cottage as a teenager, so I know to look for an oddly-coloured sky. Green. That's it. The 1987 city one uprooted our childhood Russian Olive tree in the front, much smaller than our probably 1000 year-old Cottonwood in the back. It's hard to imagine places where it's possible to get these storms more often. How frightening was it to be in it? Oh, those people with the roof that came off! No wonder you are grateful to replaces screens and shingles.

Not to focus on things you can't help but FEMA sounds awful, unless their reticence is about funding areas that are worse. "Not enough claims" made me angry, reminding me of neighbours not solving noise problems around here, as if one family didn't matter and they needed additional people to make them believe the problems ought to be corrected. If just YOU need financial supplements to your property insurance, it is valid.

I'm glad your workplace can charge batteries and USB things and allow you to tell us how you are. We imagined you and your whole pet family would be safe but it's good to know you have water with that power outage. Do you own a propane barbeque? We thought if we were without power for longer than a couple of hours, we could cook on that. Cold baths are no fun and I gather rain water during three seasons, so that we could flush down the toilet occasionally and of course bathe. Usually I fill the tub, set aside clean water for other things, and hope the power is back before taking a cold plunge. The Florida heat might be one reason not to mind a cold bath just now. Read on, my friend and I am so happy to hear from you! Yes, of course Ron & I thought of you right away! Love, Carolyn.

C. wrote: "A few questions: when did you get a second kitten or cat? That's a huge announcement. :) I was glad to share our kittens' birthday September 7 before there were storms, even though Conan wasn't here for this one. I spoiled his sisters and took a lot of great photos of Angel & Petal. I need to get a photo with them, as per tradition. Warm weather and rain still this week but their brother can only be closer to coming home."

Well, he is technically the neighbor’s cat but it is a long story. They like “buying” animals. They bought three cats from the SPCA and came home and turned the poor things loose outside. The one I have adopted, who I named Kibbles, is an older and sad de-clawed cat. I’m thinking he has owners who died or had to move without him and had no choice but to put him in SPCA. He refuses to go back to the house of the people who bought him, so he would camp out on my porch all day and night for weeks. He would greet me in the mornings when I left for work and run up to greet me when I came home. Now he runs inside and rarely wants to leave. I’ve been giving him flea treatment and feeding him for months. The neighbors have never asked about him (other than their sweet son petting him in my yard and saying he doesn’t mind me feeding him). He is not “technically” mine but we have become close – he’s adorable! I’ll have to upload a picture to the group later.

Where were you safe to wait out a hurricane? House or trailor?

It sounds like you can safely request officially that Kibbles be yours. You can make all decisions on his behalf and feel 100% free that he's your boy. It would be nice to know which name he started with (not that he minded you changing it), when his birthday is, age, what his story was. You would have a right to his file if they say okay. Did he wait out the storm with you? He's definitely yours.

The four babies and their Mom who quickly became the loves of my life, born in our house September 7, seven years ago? Happy birthday to them! :) I had to fight a shelter to keep them. This started out as a foster but as soon as they were born, I told my contact person "There is a fit here. I can keep them all together and can stay where they are happy". But I was a mess because she took two months to reply and phoned when they were due for booster shots, just before *my* birthday! I hated not being able to declare for sure that they were mine. No one could make me hand them into the shelter system but I wanted the question mark taken care of.

My brother & his wife's cat was from a shelter originally. But those people either lost him or set him loose and their phone number was disconnected. Certainly going through worry with Conan, I would try tooth & nail to reunite people with pets but something about it indicated there was no desire to make new contact information available. However my sister-in-law worried all his life (he was only one) that someone would want him back and never asked for a copy of his file, for his exact birthday. I recalled it is April 2003 and gave him a great card and gifts last year. His health has been failing for a while. I would spoil him, if he gets a fifteenth birthday.

Don't let your Kibbles be a question mark. Worst case scenario, if they said "no", even with the explanation that Kibbles is choosing you, they aren't giving him an indoor home to go to. Just frigging take him at that point but see if you can solve it officially. During that conversation, or asking their son, find out what his name is and anything else you can. You could probably request a copy of his file, or verbal information anyway.

Do you have a trailor or house? You said "shingles". Is a trailor something one could stay in? You're supposed to seek a basement. It must be terrifying to know it's flying over you? I think the lowest dangerous wind storm is tornado. They are bad enough and we're gratefuly they only occur once maybe, in 30 years and they are choosy. I wonder if that's why they're considered less dangerous than hurricanes, cyclones (a synonym?), typhoons, psunamies (synonym), as well as lower power. I think tornadoes can miss a bunch of stuff. Maybe hurricanes are the same, dipping here and there. Maybe that's why a lot of people are safe. I hope they don't damage everything in an area.

Shingles are the most common roof coverings here. I live in a mobile home but all structures can have shingles. My boss lost shingles from her house as well, and it’s a brick home.

Florida doesn’t have basements – they are very rare if they exist anywhere. We can’t have underground dwellings because of the high-flood areas and being surrounded by so much water.

Tornados do the most damage in a hurricane – we had several hit around here as a result of being on the East Side of Irma. They are definitely scary things and do more damage than the hurricane alone (depending on the hurricane category) I think you’re right on dipping – depending which direction a particular gust of wind blows makes a big difference on causing some things to stay safe and some not.


In 1987 a small tornado passed through Winnipeg. I don't remember it so it must have been very brief or at night. I remember worrying about funnal clouds at the cottage as a teenager, so I know to look for an oddly-coloured sky. Green. That's it. The 1987 city one uprooted our childhood Russian Olive tree in the front, much smaller than our probably 1000 year-old Cottonwood in the back. It's hard to imagine places where it's possible to get these storms more often. How frightening was it to be in it? Oh, those people with the roof that came off! No wonder you are grateful to replaces screens and shingles.


That does sound scary!! We lost tons of trees here. The big Oaks are especially susceptible.



Not to focus on things you can't help but FEMA sounds awful, unless their reticence is about funding areas that are worse. "Not enough claims" made me angry, reminding me of neighbours not solving noise problems around here, as if one family didn't matter and they needed additional people to make them believe the problems ought to be corrected. If just YOU need financial supplements to your property insurance, it is valid.


I agree that it’s stupid that you have to be a qualifying county to get help when they know it’s from a disaster event. I thought it was based on if you got damage or not!! I have good news though – the local news station said we were approved for a disaster designated county five minutes after I filed a claim, so that is good news. Now praying and crossing fingers they will be able to help.


Cold baths are no fun and I gather rain water during three seasons, so that we could flush down the toilet occasionally and of course bathe. Usually I fill the tub, set aside clean water for other things, and hope the power is back before taking a cold plunge. The Florida heat might be one reason not to mind a cold bath just now. Read on, my friend and I am so happy to hear from you!


You are right the cold water wasn’t half-bad!!  It helped lower body temperature and I slept fine due to that.

That backyard Cottonwood I love so much at our family house, has a few branches successfully growing at my home! My experiment worked! It wasn't going anywhere because it was massive. It has a triple-trunk! It would only drop branches from storms. The Russian Olive in the front had a wonderful, horizontal branch I sat on as a child. I realize you didn't get the punch line of my 1987 story because I forgot a part. What was weird about it being uprooted is that only a few steps away, a flowerpot was untouched on our doorstep!

I thought random touching-downt might make tornadoes less dangerous but you say they are worse. Am I wrong about them not touching down as much as hurricanes, or the wind power? Did you have tornadoes or the Irma hurricane? Thanks for telling me mobiles can have shingles and that Florida has no basements. I wonder where you waited out the storm. Would a mobile be okay?

They thought it would be stronger so a mobile home is not safe in bad storms. It weakened a bit, then went back to a 2 and changed course. I didn't know this until this hurricane either, but if you are the right side bands of a hurricane, that is the side that produces the most tornados. We had five tornados in our county the day OF the hurricane, when it was still 8 hours away. Not fun. Hurricanes will always have tornadoes they make and send off. Creepy stuff

Your Cottonwood sounds pretty. A tree I really liked was knocked over. However, it seems to prefer the sun a lot so I am going to try and save it by replanting it. I didnt want to risk moving it from its location before, but since it's now knocked over and needs replanted anyway, may as well

That is funny on the flowerpot not moving while the tree did, but it seems storms strangely work that way.

Since we have the same issue with being too low to the water line, which is why we don't have basements (they would just flood), that is also why we can't have subway systems here that are underground like many other cities.

Where did you, Gage, and the kitties spend the storm? Is your parents' home a mobile? I'm glad you're replanting your tree. Get to it fast and water it right away. I am so happy you could tell me you were safe and your property and home are pretty good. May your power come on soon and I know you are well and reading real books! No need to power up real objects. They just are what they are. xoxoxox!

C. wrote: "Where did you, Gage, and the kitties spend the storm? Is your parents' home a mobile? I'm glad you're replanting your tree. Get to it fast and water it right away. I am so happy you could tell me y..."

We stayed at my aunt's brothers house. He had a lot of trees though so a lot of them came down, but the house was safe through the storm. He also lost shingles off his roof though!

His house was nearby and safer? You packed tons of books and brought Kibbles? Does he have power? Anyway, I doubt you needed the barbeque idea from me for heating water and food, if you live in a place with annual tornadoes or hurricanes.

Either you have not had time for Goodreads or your power has been out as long as you hoped to avoid. I'm sorry about that but was glad you told us you were all safe and well. I'm curious if you took Kibbles to your Aunt's house. I wonder if the other two cats were brought into their people's house.

Ron & I were looking at the TV and saw more hurriances near the Caribbean, which we hope don't harrass Florida or any other populated land again, including Purerto Rico. We pray for all of you who have any fear of being near storms.

My morning glories have grown in warm weather long enough to be blooming every day now! Pink, dark pink, and our longtime blue! I have never reached the blooming of our moonflowers but that vine is climbing nicely and I think is farther along than ever. We'd like to avoid frost a little longer but we are ahead in picking vulnerable produce this time. Love, Carolyn and family.

It was a great year in 2017 with mysteries overall - despite hurricanes and such - so I hope that continues into the new year :)