What Fiction are you reading this week, January 8, 2023?

[hermetic]

Albertine Books NYC

I just finished Walking by Night by Kate Ellis. Like the other Ellis books I have read, this one contains elements of history, religion and archaeology. Taking place in a foggy Yorkshire town full of history, unexplained deaths and an abundance of suspects, it will keep you guessing right up to the end. I didn't think the writing flowed quite as nicely as in the Wesley Peterson novels and a few elements didn't make sense at all. For me, anyway. But, it was a good story overall.

Next up, Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany, the first Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery. I've been looking forward to this one for a while as it has all my favorite themes: a bookshop; Holmes-inspired writing and puns; a cat named Moriarty; women detectives; the occult and supernatural. There's even a Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room.

Listening to Careless Whiskers by Miranda James, a Cat in the Stacks mystery. A tale of murder in a theater which is the same thing happening in the Ellis book I was reading. So many similarities that I was having trouble remembering which was who, what, and where.

What books are holding your interest this week?

[yellowdogintexas]

1. I am back with the Sisterhood and Men of the Sisterhood!

but daggoneit I am almost finished with them.

I have been waiting for them to pop up with enough discount to purchase them ( I had some points, which helped)

Read Hot Shot first:
Loyalty is a way of life for the Sisterhood and their significant others. When lawyer Lizzie Fox’s husband, Cosmo Cricket, is left critically injured after being shot by an unknown assailant, the men of BOLO Consultants head straight for Las Vegas to comfort Lizzie—and to uncover a dangerous enemy in the City of Sin.

As head of Nevada’s Gaming Commission, Cosmo has powerful enemies. Yet the shooting seems to be related to one of his private projects. Built in the desert outside Las Vegas, Happy Village is a flourishing community for seniors who have lost a spouse. Cosmo’s widowed father found new purpose in running the venture. But the neighborhood that’s now home to Happy Village was once run by rival gangs, a complicated past that has come to haunt the place. Jack, Harry, and the rest of the crew need to remove the threat, risking everything to take on a vicious and mysterious gang leader known only as Hot Shot. And while the men of the Sisterhood fight for justice for their friend, Cosmo is fighting for his life—and the stakes have never been higher . . .

Now reading Tick Tock Sisterhood #34
The women of the Sisterhood have developed a motto: “Whatever it takes.” Regardless of how dangerous an adversary may be, or how overwhelming the odds against them seem, the group’s devotion to each other and to their cause has helped them achieve the seemingly impossible.

But there’s a price to pay for success. In the course of both their official careers and their top-secret missions, the Sisterhood—and their menfolk—have acquired enemies. Myra has been feeling uneasy of late, and her fears are justified when her adopted daughter, Nikki, is seriously injured. With Nikki in a coma, and Nikki’s partner, Jack, convinced that the organization’s online security has been breached, the women of the Sisterhood are more vulnerable than they’ve ever been.

On their trail is a vicious felon with scores to settle and a network of accomplices willing to do his bidding, for a price. He’s set his sights on vengeance, and the attack on Nikki is just the beginning. Though frantic with worry about her daughter, Myra and her beloved Charles know it’s time to summon the others and figure out how to take the fight to the enemy’s door. Because no one targets one of their own and gets away with it . . .

So much fun and now I have to wait for the next ones

I realized I have 42 of Fern Michaels' books in my collection!

[hermetic]

3. It's hard, I know

When you come to the end of a series. Kind of like your best friends moving out of town. Then you have to wait until you hear from them again. Hang in there. You are a great fan.

[northoftheborder]

2. The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsten Manning

I really enjoyed this story of a woman ‘s search for her family history lost in the tragedy and dislocation of WW2. I learned a lot about the Jewish escapes to China and the terrible stories of their lives as well as their Chinese friends when the country was invaded and occupied by the Japanese. The story jumps from 1939 to 2016 throughout the book (which is sometimes confusing in some books I’ve read) but this one keeps the narrative going and I found the Asian culture references very interesting.

[hermetic]

4. That sounds really moving

And important. I didn't know people had fled to China. I can imagine that was not easy.

"..a lush, provocative, and beautiful story of friendship, motherhood, the price of love, and the power of hardship and courage that can shape us all."

Thanks for sharing.

[Backseat Driver]

5. I've just started a non-fiction book, but one based on fictionalized folklore and myth:

The Heroine with 1001 Faces by Maria Tatar

Joseph Campbell's curious problem concerning history's heros: He apparently minimized the feminine force of women...the hero-ines! Hope you can read the link and its not behind a subscription paywall!

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/09/maria-tatar-heroine-1001-faces/619494/

[The King of Prussia]

6. Marple

12 new short stories featuring Agatha Christie's Miss Marple by various authors. The quality is patchy - some are OK, some are dreadful. It doesn't help that I'm not a short story fan, but I don't recommend this one.

Happy reading Hermetic and everyone.

[hermetic]

7. Alrighty then...

Thanks.

[Jeebo]

8. Still reading "The Winner" by David Baldacci

It's his third published novel, and his best one, in my humble opinion. I was reading every one as it came out until 10 or 15 years ago, when I stopped because I kind of overdosed on them. But I've been wanting to re-read this one. LuAnn Tyler is a dirt-poor 20-year-old trailer trash girl living in rural north Georgia with a baby and a perpetually drunk boyfriend. But after a stranger approaches her with an interesting proposition, she turns out to be a diamond in the rough, a very bright and resourceful young woman with many hidden talents. She's a fascinating heroine and I would love to see a movie made of this one.

-- Ron

[hermetic]

9. I remember that one

From some years ago. Good stuff.

[japple]

10. Still reading ARCADIA by Lauren Groff. It's starting to drag a bit but

things are bound to pick up soon.

[joshdawg]

11. Just started "Swan Peak" by James Lee Burke.

Another Dave Robicheaux mystery. I keep seeing Tommy Lee Jones and hearing him in the dialogues.

Read Burke's novel "In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead" some years ago and became a fan of Robicheaux since then. Tommy Lee Jones played the lead in the movie.

[hermetic]

12. That sure sounds good

".. a twisted and dangerous mystery involving a wealthy, vicious oil tycoon, his deformed brother and beautiful wife, a sexually deviant minister, an escaped con and former country music star, and a vigilante Texas gunbull out for blood."
And more!

"Burke deftly weaves intricate, engaging plotlines and original, compelling characters with his uniquely graceful prose."

Just added this to my list. Thanks.

[yellowdogintexas]

14. My mom kept telling me to read the Robicheaux books

One of these days I am going to give them a try.

So many books; so little time

[CrispyQ]

13. "The Family Upstairs" by Lisa Jewell.

From GoodReads:

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

I gave it 3 stars, not a page turner, but a decent read.