--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400024 Date: 07/02/96 From: JAN MURPHY Time: 10:24am \/To: HELEN FLEISCHER (Read 3 times) Subj: McCrumb and other cross-over writers > DS> McCrumb. She seems to be making the series more mainstream > rather > DS> than "mystery/murder" although each one does have a > mystery of > DS> sorts. [stuff deleted] > I don't demand a mystery, though it probably shouldn't be > shelved with > them if it drifts away from the genre. Not that that makes > a difference > to the publishers. ;) Well, here's the bookseller's dilemma. We started out as a specialty shop with mostly science fiction, though we did carry some mysteries if they were written by authors who also did science fiction (e.g. Asimov's mysteries, Boucher's _Rocket to the Morgue_, Dick Lupoff's mystery series, Ted Sturgeon and Jack Vance's Ellery Queen titles, and so on). So we also had _Bimbos of the Death Sun_ and _Zombies of the Gene Pool_. Then we started carrying more mysteries if they had some sort of "twist" that would make them interesting to readers of science fiction. Mostly this started out as historical mysteries like M K Wren's (another crossover author) and Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfaels and so on. Then we said, well, heck, they've reprinted Dorothy Sayers and how can we NOT stock these since we're carrying mysteries too. And so on. Then we had a bunch of customers stop in who were really interested in the mysteries only, so to save them the trouble of pawing through the umptey-bump cases of SF to dig out the handful of mysteries, we gave the mysteries their own (albeit small) shelf in the store. Now what do we do with the books by McCrumb which are neither mystery or SF? We face a similar problem with the romances -- we started out as a lark by carrying a series of romances with a ghost in them, on the grounds that it was fantasy because it was a ghost story. They sold like hotcakes. Now we are seeing more and more publishers sending us fantasy or science fiction-related romances, mostly time travel stories, or vampire ones. And we've always had a smattering of romances anyhow, again, stuff written by science fiction and fantasy writers which we've had for their associational value, since some readers want to read EVERYTHING their favorite writer does no matter what category this is. Ideally, we'd like the fans of writer X to be able to find these books and buy them if they tickle their fancy. If they don't know that writer X has written in other categories, they won't go looking in the other section. If we put up signs (shelf-talkers, as they are called in the trade) directing readers to the other sections, we will have so many shelf-talkers, they'll just become a big blur and customers won't read them. So what's a bookseller to do? --- Opus-CBCS 1.73a * Origin: Sci-Fido II, World's Oldest SF BBS, Berkeley, CA (1:161/84.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400025 Date: 07/02/96 From: DELORES E ROWE Time: 03:21am \/To: PATRICIA FERRARA (Read 3 times) Subj: Poor Spelling & Future Ge Patricia Ferrara was saying something to der about excuses.... PF> DER> I really wonder what's going to happen to future generations hat PF> DER> cannot add or subtract without a calculator or spell without a spell PF> DER> checker. A major power outage and they are brain dead! PF> There's no mystery there. All you have to do is take notice PF> of signs in stores, brochures in the mail, and other things PF> you'd expect to have been done professionally. If you keep PF> your eyes open, you'll see the errors on a daily basis. Some PF> might just be typos, but I see it too frequently to believe PF> that excuse for all of it. Isn't that the truth. Listening to the local evening news can set my teeth on edge, too! :) PF> Well, I'm off to read another in Joan Hess' Claire Malloy PF> series. I always enjoy hers. I just hope I don't end up PF> reading way past my bedtime, as I so often do. It's hard PF> enough to get up early on Monday mornings without having a PF> lack of sleep to make it worse. :) hehehe! The times I have done that! I just read an "interesting" little book. It was called The Train Home by Susan Richards Shreve. It was in the Library Cat. as a Mystery, however, it really wasn't a true mystery...other than the mysteries and vagueries of life. One critic likened it to The Bridges of Madison County. Although it was very different from most of my reading material, I did enjoy it. A quick read, too, only 230 pages. *** SLMR 2.1a ....A waist is a terrible thing to mind. --- TriToss (tm) Professional 10.0 - #189 * Origin: TMK BBS - 509.886.7607 - mystique@nwinternet.com (1:344/115.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400026 Date: 07/03/96 From: DENNIS MCCUNNEY Time: 03:23am \/To: PATRICIA FERRARA (Read 4 times) Subj: Holmes 's addiction ** From Patricia Ferrara to pierre amadio on 30 Jun 96 20:43:43 ** Holmes 's addiction pa> I have read that Sherlock Holmes (hope the spelling is good) usually pa> takes drugs beetween two periods of works in order to have something to pa> do with his mind. Does any of you know if he takes morphin or cocaine ? PF> PF> It was my understanding that he smoked opium. Nope. He shot cocaine. --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: * BlueDog BBS * (212) 594-4425 * NYC FileBone Hub (1:278/304) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400027 Date: 06/27/96 From: HELEN FLEISCHER Time: 08:58pm \/To: BERT QUILLIN (Read 3 times) Subj: Arthur Upfield One of my favorite authors! Holler if you want a list in chronological order, not that it really matters when reading them. By the way, if your library has either _A Royal Abduction_ or _The Beach of Atonement_, I will be VERY jealous. Those are the only two I haven't found. ... Past life regression? Been there. Done That. * Q-Blue 1.0 * Helen Fleischer is helen@mbbs.com in Fairland, MD --- GEcho/2-PCB/2 * Origin: * MetroNet * Columbia, MD * (410) 720-5506 * (1:261/1137) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400028 Date: 06/27/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 09:20pm \/To: DELORES E ROWE (Read 3 times) Subj: reading matter... -=> While in the White Hart, Delores E Rowe insisted to Fred Runk that <=- DER> his name, but he also did a credible job. However, I much preferred DER> William Holden. Joseph Wambaugh was also the executive director for DER> the series Police Story, which ran for quite a while. FR>Yeah, know whom you mean, but the name escapes me at FR>present. Big, heavyset FR>guy--light hair. Frequently plays heavies in the movies. FR>George Kennedy? DER> DER> Right on!! That's the guy! FR>Err...You seem to have forgotten James Bond! DER> DER> Sorry...IMO, James Bond is kiddie fare to anything that LeCarre DER> writes! Yeah, closer to comic book hero stuff, actually. DER> Brave fellow!! I am always appalled when I see the poor grammar, DER> atrocious spelling and general lack of comprehension of students that DER> are graduating from high school. However, I work closely with two My two summer courses that just finished today (still have to grade finals) consisted mostly of high school students--jrs. and snrs. No comment. DER> high school teachers in a club that I belong to, and, to be perfectly DER> honest with you, neither of them could spell their way out of a paper DER> bag!! That's what spell checkers are for. >g< FR>I usually do a brief review which I sometimes put in the conference, FR>especially the SF conference. If I do something more FR>than a brief paragraph FR>about DAUGHTERS, I will send it along in this conference. Will start DAUGHTERS OF CAIN in a day or so. Interesting title as I think I remember seeing another book that had "Cain" in the title. I also read the collection of short stories with Morse--MORSE'S GREATEST MYSTERY. Didn't work for me. Very weak stuff overall. A real disappointment. Have you read it? ... Contextually correct, but informationally challenged. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400029 Date: 06/27/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 09:28pm \/To: SUSAN BULLA (Read 3 times) Subj: Libraries -=> While in the White Hart, Susan Bulla insisted to Fred Runk that <=- SB> Hey, Fred, off topic but did you know Ann Kovich there? She's now at SB> City of Fort Worth and a good friend of mine (fellow birder). No, name isn't familar. I left the City in 1980 and didn't keep in touch, so I don't know who came on after me. Reading anything interesting at present? ... "We read to know we are not alone." -CS Lewis- ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) -=> While in the White Hart, Patricia Ferrara insisted to Fred Runk that <=- PF> Perhaps it's time to make a nuisance of yourself, then. PF> Call them twice a month and ask if the event is scheduled PF> Perhaps, and if that's the problem, it's a shame. The thing PF> is handled by a group called "Friends of the Library". You'd Same here. PF> myself in the foot because it will be that much harder to shop PF> and to find my preferred authors. But it would be much worse if PF> the efforts of the FoL fail and discontinue the monthly sale. Wonder if that's the reason the sales are a well-kept secret around here. FR> I used to work in the personnel department for the City of Tucson. FR> It's hard for me to get a fresh perspective on any of those issues. PF> Hmmm. Maybe it's time you wrote about it, Fred... Wonder what genre it would fit? "True Confessions"? "Horror"? "Humor"? "Fantasy"? ... The Three Basic Food Groups: Frozen, Instant, and Take Out. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400030 Date: 06/27/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 09:29pm \/To: PATRICIA FERRARA (Read 3 times) Subj: Library Sales -=> While in the White Hart, Patricia Ferrara insisted to Fred Runk that <=- PF> Perhaps it's time to make a nuisance of yourself, then. PF> Call them twice a month and ask if the event is scheduled PF> Perhaps, and if that's the problem, it's a shame. The thing PF> is handled by a group called "Friends of the Library". You'd Same here. PF> myself in the foot because it will be that much harder to shop PF> and to find my preferred authors. But it would be much worse if PF> the efforts of the FoL fail and discontinue the monthly sale. Wonder if that's the reason the sales are a well-kept secret around here. FR> I used to work in the personnel department for the City of Tucson. FR> It's hard for me to get a fresh perspective on any of those issues. PF> Hmmm. Maybe it's time you wrote about it, Fred... Wonder what genre it would fit? "True Confessions"? "Horror"? "Humor"? "Fantasy"? ... The Three Basic Food Groups: Frozen, Instant, and Take Out. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400031 Date: 06/27/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 09:33pm \/To: PATRICIA FERRARA (Read 3 times) Subj: Voodoo -=> While in the White Hart, Patricia Ferrara insisted to Fred Runk that <=- -=> Quoting Fred Runk to Patricia Ferrara <=- PF> Apparently, though, it is an acceptable spelling PF> according to the dictionary. Live and learn. FR> So I noticed from other responses to your message. Well, now you FR> know. PF> Yep. Guess I should work on getting the gris-gris taken PF> off of the author now, huh? Or include the editors of various dictionaries. ... Answers: Short--$1; Correct--$5; Long--$25; dumb looks are still free. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400032 Date: 06/27/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 09:34pm \/To: BERT QUILLIN (Read 3 times) Subj: Arthur Upfield -=> While in the White Hart, Bert Quillin insisted to Fred Runk that <=- BQ> Hi Fred: BQ> After reading your original message a couple of weeks ago, I picked up BQ> the only Upfield book our local library had available just to "try" him BQ> out. It was "The Lake Frome Monster", and it was difficult to put the BQ> thing down until finished. Howdy Bert: Glad you enjoyed Upfield, although I don't think I wrote the original message. But, I have read several of them and have enjoyed them also. The one you mention wasn't one of them though. Have you read any of the Hillerman mysteries, with the Navajo police officers? ... Climb mountains to see lowlands. Old Chinese Proverb ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DB400033 Date: 06/27/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 10:03pm \/To: SUZZE TIERNAN (Read 3 times) Subj: Test -=> Quoting Suzze Tiernan to All <=- ST> I am doing another test here. Please answer (anyone) if you get this. ST> I realized the only message anyone answered me from I posted directly ST> on the BBS, I want to see if my messages in Blue Wave are making it ST> out. OK, your message made it to Tucson, Arizona again. ... Today's wine I swallow now...Tomorrow's sorrow I'll swallow then. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2)