Kindle British Mystery Book Club discussion

Feel free to ask your questions here.

Can someone explain where I can find the kindle US link so this group gets credit? I read in a post that someone said Kindle/Amazon sponsors/supports this group. Is that correct?

Which area of this site should I be checking for voting on March books? Thanks

Not sure why so excited but I AM! Thanks

I am always wondering WHEN it is ok to actually start discussing book of the month. This month it seems like it has been so long since I finished Test of Wills that I have forgotten things I wanted to say but do not want to jump the gun. Can you answer, as a general rule....

Hi not been on for a while, but just wondering if we have to read both group read books or just one. I habe only the innocent book and had borrowed someone else,s skin but I had reading block and never got round to reading it

Yes that would be good, thanks.

I I really enjoyed the poll and especially, reading other book lovers responses! Reading, for me, is such a part of who I am and it was so fantastic reading how other connect with books like I do! I will definitely join in other polls. Thank you for all you do David!

My question/comment.

Does anyone have the ability and time to change things up on the Discussion boards. I would find them more user friendly if the most current remarks were first. In other words read from the present-backwards.
I hope that makes sense.

Does anyone else think this would be an asset?
Mary

Mary, I have a little arrow in the upper right hand corner that changes the sequence from newest to last

Newest to oldest, that should have been

Or if I click the arrow,it goes from first post (oldest) down to the newest one

Beth wrote: "Newest to oldest, that should have been

Or if I click the arrow,it goes from first post (oldest) down to the newest one"

Hi Beth, well I have been using this site for a few years and never noticed that except on games pages. Thanks. So easy to click date arrow and it flips! I should have known David would have already implemented that. :)

No problem, Mary! I only found it by accident!!

King's English vs. American English
I enjoy reading mysteries/detective stories written by Englishmen. I select the Oxford English Dictionary for my Kindle to help with the slang terms like wanker and git.

Thanks to the advent of spelling checkers authors seem to be neglecting proofreading and I often see inappropriate words. For example, a few days ago a suspect "intimated" a victim. After a moment's confusion I realize the susepct had, in fact, "intimidated" the victim.

But, there are subtle differences in spelling and usage between the King's English and the colonial version. Is this, "...and he certainly didn't look phased by her...." an error or proper usage in King's English?

No, it is an illiterate error. The author has confused 'phase' & 'faze'! A student of mine once wrote, 'It was a site for soar eyes'!

I enjoy reading English authors , in part, because their writing is often superior. In England, people who write "It was a site for soar eyes" don't write books or don't get published.

I'm almost finished with that book and the faze/phase error was the only incorrect word usage I've noticed.

I like the presenters with regional accents. On the internet I can listen to Liverpool, Stoke, Newcastle &c to match the dialects to what I'm reading. Call-in programmes are best.for authentic local dialect. Glasgow is demanding to my North American ear.

I believe the genesis of political correctness was a desire to stop discussion and debate. Liberal positions are unsupportable so political correctness allows them to avoid debate and discussion. "You sound sexist..." is substituted for a rational argument and a gullible person begins defending himself from the baseless allegation.

Political correctness isn't the only tool to stop debate and discussion. A woman recently told me she didn't consider abortion, even one day before birth, as killing. I smiled and agreed and said, "I've never considered strangling liberals to be killing either."

Consider the word euthanasia. The liberals want to make euthanasia a synonym for physician-assisted suicide with the minor difference on one being a person deciding he wants to die and the other being a liberal deciding you should die. Consider, free medical care. The problem with free medical care is the blasted doctors, nurses, orderlies, and so fort want to gat paid. Bastards. Oh, well they have to be paid. Then, is isn't free. What liberals call free usually means someone else is paying for you.

And in the U.S. the degrading of English started long before political correctness. I am older than most trees in this city and when I went to school I suffered the drudgery of diagramming sentences. We actually studied not only grammar but civics, Latin, and algebra. My son got to junior high in the late 1970s. My first run in was over a history paper he wrote. He asked me to read it and I said it was unacceptable and pointed out he could write better than that. "But, spelling and stuff doesn't matter, Dad. It's for a history class." "They still count off for incorrect spelling, punctuation, and poor sentence structure." "No, they don't."

I went to school and the principal laughed at me and said, "The English teacher doesn't have time to grade papers for the history teacher and the geography teacher and the other teachers."

"Can't they correct the spelling, punctuation, and grammar?" He looked at me like I was an idiot.

Then, my son's English teacher told him that spelling, punctuation and structure were cultural constructs and were meaningless and all that was important was his ideas. I explained that at thirteen he had precious few ideas and when he grew up it would be nice if he could express his ideas in ways that others would understand. We spent a week with me giving him examples of errors cause by using the wrong word, incorrect punctuation, or clumsy structure. The proper use, and the misuse, of the passive voice actually interested him. Then I explained that all abstract thought uses language. You can think of chair, dog, tree, or bomb with pictures but honor, decency, and responsibility all require language for consideration. All are characteristics lacking in liberals, too. I explained that if you can't write clearly and logically you can't think clearly and logically. He agreed and writes well now.

It is still my opinion that the people in England who don't learn English well are not being told in the schools that they're well educated and can be successful as writers. It is my experience that English writers of mysteries and detective stories are more likely to be good writers than are American writers.

Perhaps the decline in America began with Hemmingway.

Hemingway was an excellent prose stylist. We ought not to mistake rules for learners with precepts of a master. A great writer knows when to break the rules, to use the 2nd person, or polysyndeton or an anacoluthon.

Oh, my spell checker lets me choose UK or US. In my reviews I use the latter for books by Amercan authors & the former for UK & Commonwealth & Irish authors & of course all posts to our group.

Isn't it odd that a history teacher is educated enough to teach history but not educated enough to correct grammar, spelling,etc?
But then again the history teacher is probably not teaching history either.

I have to disagree that British authors have superior writing skills than American authors. I have found that it really comes down to the authors themselves. My favorite authors are those that cherish writing and take care with each word, each sentence, each paragraph and so on. They have honed their craft. That skill is not about nationalities. Pride is an individual thing.

I will admit that my writing skills have diminished as I spend more time using computers for reading news and spending time on social media. I must admit that I have forgotten the proper punctuation, grammar and such and my vocabulary has probably decreased too. That's on me.

On correct language, see Peter Jones in this week's (10/12) Spectator.

My little Kindle (about 5 years old, used when I was given it)
finally died a few days ago. I purchased a Kindle Paperwhite
from Amazon. Challenging to say the least. I just want a Kindle to
read books; don't need Internet etc. Was wondering if anyone else found the Paperwhite user unfriendly? I am reading a paper
back right now until I figure out what to do. Read instructions again and again. Any ideas? Thank you

Juliann wrote: "My little Kindle (about 5 years old, used when I was given it)
finally died a few days ago. I purchased a Kindle Paperwhite
from Amazon. Challenging to say the least. I just want a Kindle to
read ..." You can speak with a real human being on the Amazon help line.

Thanks, I'll try that. "Amazon help line."

I don't know where to ask this but I found a program called Endeavor on amazon prime. The detective is named Morse. It seems to be a prequel to another show with the same character. I really am loving this series. Can someone tell me the name of the show it is leading in to? Thanks

Hi Mary,
Endeavor is a prequel to the series called Inspector Morse which was based on the books written by Colin Dexter. There were 33 episodes that ran from 1987 - 2000. They followed the Inspector Morse series with the spin off Inspector Lewis series. If you like the Endeavor series you love these too. Quality acting, quality filming, and quality writing! Who could ask for more in these fantastic English series!

David wrote: "Hi Mary.
If you like Endeavour which is the prequel (although done after) to Morse you will like Lewis also.
When you watch Morse his side kick is DS Lewis played by Kevin Whatley.
In Lewis he is..."

Thanks David. No wonder I couldn't find "Morse."

I have a question and am not sure it's been posted and answered before, so please forgive me if this has been answered.

When I read the selected books for October would they also count toward the current challenge of reading a new author? I have not read Mark Edwards or Julie Wassmer previously.
Thank you.

David wrote: "Tina wrote: "I have a question and am not sure it's been posted and answered before, so please forgive me if this has been answered.

When I read the selected books for October would they also coun..."
Thank you, David.