Our Whodunit Bookology detective of the month is Inspector Chen Cao created by Qui Xiaolong originally born in Shanghai China in 1953 and currently resides in the United States.
Inspector Chen Cao was introduced with the publication of Death of a Red Heroine in 2000. The Inspector Chen series is set in Shanghai China in the 1990's and Chen Cao works as a homicide detective in the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau. The character is in his early thirties and also writes poetry and works as a translator. Inspector Chen must navigate his way through government politics while trying to solve murders. The series provides fascinating cultural and historical insight into China during a time of transition.
There are a number of ways to complete the bookology challenge, including but not limited, to the suggestions below:
- Read the first book in the series.
- Read one book per letter in the character's first or last name.
- Read one book per letter in the author's first or last name.
- If you're feeling really ambitious, one book per letter in the character's first and last name.
- Follow in a character's footsteps and read a book set in the country or time period of the character.
- Follow in the author's footsteps and read a book set in their place or time of birth.
- Read a book with the first or last name of the character or author in the title.
Check out Big Thrills Interview with Xiaolong - Perceiving China Through a Poetry-Spouting Sleuth as well as delve into the history of China during the 1990's, emerging Chinese authors, and best novels that take place in China.
Have fun following rabbit trails.
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Reviews and Comments
If you'd like to share your book reviews, you may link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have any internet or social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. Please do not add links of 52 Books, nonexistent or old web pages. They will be deleted. If your link disappears, please email me if you need to change or update your links.
Every week I will put up Mister Linky's Magical Widget for you to link to your reviews. No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, add your link to the current week's post. The linking widget will close at the end of each book week.
In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.
Every week I will put up Mister Linky's Magical Widget for you to link to your reviews. No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, add your link to the current week's post. The linking widget will close at the end of each book week.
In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.
Done.
ReplyDeleteGreat. Thank you!
DeleteThis past week I read “100 Cigarettes and a Bottle of Vodka”, a prizewinning memoir by Arthur Schaller. His book describes his experience growing up as a young Jew in Poland. In 1939, at the age of 11, he was confined with his family in the Warsaw Ghetto. After his mother was taken away by the Nazis, he escaped the ghetto and survived the war working as a farmhand. After the war, he escaped Poland to Prague as part of a group of young Zionists, before coming to Canada as one of 100 Jewish orphans accepted for resettlement. His haunting story is beautifully written and a testament to resilience and the triumph of life over horror and hatred.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing and I'll add it to my wish list. We recently read The Boy on the Wooden Box as well as Night which are both well written.
DeleteThis week I completed two books. “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline is a great novel of online combat with a very likeable hero living in a grim future. Many nods to 1980’s popular culture, movies, books and TV, as well as video games. Looking forward to the movie version of this enjoyable story.
ReplyDeleteI also finished rereading “the Order of the Phoenix”, reading aloud with my son who was home for the week from college. Needless to say, this is also a great read, with many timely reminders of the risks of the misguided or corrupt use of power, both in government and in the press, and welcome role models who are undeterred by adversity in their struggle against evil.