What Fiction are you reading this week, April 7, 2024?

[hermetic]

Biltmore Estate library

I'm enjoying two of my most favorite authors this week.

I am reading In A House of Lies by Ian Rankin, a gripping story of corruption and consequences. In this 25th Rebus mystery, a new investigation threatens to unearth skeletons from Rebus' past and one from a car boot.

Listening to Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny. I probably already read this but not much else was available in audio right now so here I am. When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, he discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache suspects the woman must have been delusional. But what if, he begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane?

What favorites are you reading this week?

[Srkdqltr]

1. I read The Kingdom Of The Blind several years ago.

I don't remember any of it. Now I'll have to reread.

[hermetic]

3. Cool

Good to know I'm not the only one.

[cbabe]

12. I just reread it. Most memorable character was the snow. Deep freezing blizzard cold. And the hat.

[brer cat]

2. The Target, a Robie and Reed novel by Baldacci.

I know I have read this before, but I couldn't remember much about it so decided to reread. It is worth spending the time again.

[hermetic]

5. Another one!

Wow, this could be turning out to be read-it-again week. I just checked and it is National Library Week. So YAY libraries!!

[MontanaMama]

4. I just finished Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter.

I listened to it on audible. I finished it because I wanted to know if the bad guys would be held accountable. I would say it’s a hair raising thriller…however, I wish I had read more about the book in terms of trigger warnings. It was upsetting to me…the violence against women aspect of it was unexpected. If I had actually read about it before I downloaded the book, I might have passed.

Synopsis:

Karin Slaughter’s thriller novel Pretty Girls (2015) chronicles a family haunted by the sudden disappearance and presumed murder of their eldest daughter, Julia. Almost 20 years later, the Carroll family remains fractured by the lasting emotional fallout, each member using different strategies to cope with their grief. Upon the death of Claire Scott’s (née Carroll) husband Paul, the family is dragged back into the spotlight, but with new information that situates Paul at the center of Julia’s disappearance. Yet another young woman recently went missing under similar circumstances, exacerbating their resurgent trauma.
Slaughter situates the story in a realistic portrayal of Atlanta, Georgia, in the present day, taking care to include all the law enforcement and gender politic influences that complicate missing persons cases and femicides in the American South.

It was riveting but be prepared…

[hermetic]

6. Thanks, good to know

[people]

7. Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

Historical fiction about a woman doctor in 15th Century China.

[hermetic]

8. That sounds quite awesome

Tons of 5 star reviews. Nominee for Best Historical Fiction(2023.
A captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant re-imagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.
Thanks for sharing.

[mentalsolstice]

9. Just finished two....

The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe. Spoiler alert, the boat sinks, it always does, no matter how many movies you watch or how many books you read about it. Overall a good book.

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. So many trigger warnings for this one. So heartbreaking.

Next up I’m going to try something different, Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos by Nash Jenkins.

[hermetic]

10. Never read that one..

Looks like I should, if I can find it.

The publication of Bastard Out of Carolina was a landmark event that won the author a National Book Award nomination and launched her into the literary spotlight. Critics have likened her to Harper Lee, naming her the first writer of her generation to dramatize the lives and language of poor whites in the South. Since its appearance, the novel has inspired an award-winning film and has been banned from libraries and classrooms, championed by fans, and defended by critics.



Good luck with the Foster Dade book.

Jenkins brilliantly captures the emotional intensities of adolescence in the dizzying early years of the twenty-first century.

Reviews are mixed. Let us know what you think of it.

[cbabe]

11. Tim Washburn: two titles

Cataclysm, Yellowstone caldera eruption, and Cyber Attack, the internet of things hacked.

End of the world as we know it.

Writing is ok, maybe two to three stars.

Hubris and bureaucracy are our downfall. (See Boeing, Baltimore bridge, and so many more.)

James in from the library. Next up.

Meanwhile rereading The Secret/Lee Child.

[hermetic]

15. Ah Yellowstone

If that blows I'll be right in the line of fire. Kind of worrisome.

The Secret sounds good. The latest Reacher.

Thanks for checking in.

[Bayard]

13. A David Baldacci,

"The Sixth Man." Two investigators, former Secret Service, finding major government corruption while trying to clear an alleged serial killer. Its pretty good.

Finished a non-fiction, but very engrossing Indigenous history of the Little Bighorn battle, and the events and people leading up to it. "The Last Stand," by Nathaniel Philbrick. Highly recommend.

[hermetic]

16. Baldacci has a new one

coming out next week. A Calamity of Souls "Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a racially-charged murder case sets a duo of white and Black lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants." Sounds good.

So does The Last Stand. Thanks for sharing.

[txwhitedove]

14. Good day. Yesterday finished the singe/songwriter Brandi Carlile memoir of her childhood, openly

gay teens, and musical career in Broken Horses. Quite good actually, thoughtful, introspective and positive.

I read 2 Chet and Bernie ebook novellas, A Cat was Involved and The Iggy Chronicles. Always a fun read and now I know what happened at the K9 finals.

Just opened The Book Woman of Troublesome Crrek by Kim Michelle Richardson. In 1936 "The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything—everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter."

[hermetic]

17. Yeah,

The Book Woman... is really good. Quite memorable.

[yellowdogintexas]

40. yes indeed The Bookwoman is a wonderful book. I recommend it to anyone I know who reads

I felt I was with her every step of the way. There is a sequel The Bookwoman's Daughter also good

[EverHopeful]

18. Tried his Arthur and Queenie series while awaiting the next Chet and Bernie

Written for younger readers but can't resist his dog and cat POV so enjoyed it while waiting for A Farewell to Arfs in August.

[NanaCat]

21. Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek was awesome

I sent it to my mum after I finished it, because she loves books about women battling overwhelming challenges.

I didn't realize I'd never see it again, LOL, because she loaned it to a friend, who loaned it to her sister, who loaned it to a cousin who loaned it to--Well, I've no idea. If Mum couldn't trace it when I last asked about its latest location, then it's gone for good.

[NanaCat]

22. Oh--and BOOOOOOO to Jojo Moyes for stealing

The idea of the pack librarians from Ms Richardson. Oh, she changed a few things, but some of the book is so close to the original that I'm surprised Ms. Richardson hasn't won a copyright suit against the shameless thief.

Worse, it's her book that's getting the Hollywood treatment.

[yellowdogintexas]

41. she did not steal the idea of the pack librarians since it was a real thing

however, the books have some significant similarities in detail which prompted the author of "Bookwoman" to sue her. I picked up right away on them when I read Giver of Stars; mostly they are thinly veiled duplications of events out on the trail. There are a couple of characters that I felt were blatant copies of characters in "Bookwoman" and a couple of incidents which seem derivative of Bookwoman.

I read both books and I liked Bookwoman much better mostly because the author really conveys the feel and character of the Eastern Ky mountains in the 1930s, the attitudes toward women, the side story of Cussy's unique medical situation and the people she meets and deals with. It is better written and is told from the point of view of a woman whose family has lived in those mountains for several generations, a true inside story

Giver of Stars is told from the point of view of an outsider experiencing severe culture shock and saddled with a strange husband and horrid inlaws. This woman is navigating a world which is totally strange and baffling to her and her struggle to come to grips with this strange new place gives the story a different feel.


3

[EverHopeful]

19. The Exchange by John Grisham

Enjoy most of his stuff and this one is keeping me turning the pages (or swiping the screen in my case.)

[NanaCat]

20. Ian Rankin is one of my very favourite writers

I haven't kept up with the Rebus series after it 'ended' with Exit Music, but that's mostly because I'd have to re-read the series from the beginning to get back into its groove. Maybe another year.

This week, I'll read Edgar Best Novel Winner Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. Thriller featuring a black Texas Ranger suspended from his job for helping out a guy arrested for (allegedly) killing the Aryan Brotherhood trash heap who was harassing his granddaughter. Adding to the tension is how this happened in the deepest, darkest boonies of yokelstan East Texas--one of the most racist places on earth. While the Ranger's there, lo and behold, what turns up surfacing from a local bayou but a murdered black man from Chicago. Only two days later, the body of a local white woman is found in the bayou as well. As if the racist pot wasn't boiling enough already. I probably won't get any sleep with this one.

I'll also read Kaia Alderson's Sister in Arms about a squadron of black women serving as WACs who deliver mail to soldiers in Europe during WWII. I'm beyond burnt out with WWII novels, especially the ones about women serving because so many of them are woefully formulaic, but I've committed to reading the ALA book-a-week. So I'm stuck with this one, but we'll see if it transcends the formula.

[The King of Prussia]

23. Date with Murder by Julia Chapman

The fourth in her Dales Dective Agency series set in a fictionalised version of the town of Settle in the Dales. We went to the launch of the ninth in the series on Thursday.

[hermetic]

24. Oh, I say

Delighted to see you again. Hope all is going well for you. Still teaching?

I looked up Julia Chapman and Date with Poison is listed as her 4th Dales Detective book. It's about poisoned pooches and a missing teenager. Same one? I know how titles sometimes change between here and there. And her newest is Date with Justice? These sound quite enjoyable and I will be looking for them for future reading..

Cheers!

[The King of Prussia]

26. My bad

I've been reading the series completely out of order. This is indeed #3.
Yeah still teaching. Hope all is well with you also.

[hermetic]

28. Nah, you're good

Doing well enough, all things considered.

[Deep State Witch]

25. Babel by R. F. Kuang

A good "alternative history" story about young Chinese-English boy being sent to a translation academy at Oxford in the lead-up to the First Opium War. Really examines the effects of colonialism.

[japple]

27. I just finished The Trees by Percival Everett and was a bit confounded by

the ending. The story took so many twists and turns and there were so many characters, that I am not exactly sure what happened. It was so weird.

Don't know where I'll go next. Maybe I'll just re-read the end of The Trees. I've got a ton of stuff on my TBR list.

Thanks for the weekly thread, hermetic.

[hermetic]

29. Interesting

Well, the book blurb does say: "Something truly strange is afoot." So, there you go.


Enjoy your new choice, whatever it turns out to be.

[question everything]

30. Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn

The book starts with a teenager in Romania being instructed how to talk like an American youth: Yo, it is me, your grandson.

And this is how it is progressed: calling older women in the sates pretending to be their grandsons, being held on DUI charges. The way to send money is using a special app, to provide the bank info, including the password and the next morning the account is cleaned.

But Mrs. Plansky is mad. Through unguarded comments by an FBI agent she finds the name of the small village in Romania and off she goes.

Not a real mystery; no murders and we know who done it, but an easy reading and a satisfying ending, though a couple of convenient encounters.

Now started The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood ( the man behind “Murder in Paradise.”)

A 77 year old independent woman who heard her neighbor being shot and is determined to find the culprit.

[hermetic]

31. What the...

Ooh, I see. It's a cozy. Spencer Quinn's first novel in a new series since the meteoric launch of Chet and Bernie--introducing the irresistible and unforgettable Mrs. Plansky, in a story perfect for book clubs and commercial fiction readers.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. Mrs Plansky might be my new hero. I had to turn off my landline phone because I get 5 calls Every. Single. Day. from spoofed numbers. I read there's some huge warehouses in Guatamala or somesuch where these calls come from and I would love to just take a little trip down there, march in and show them it's not really a good idea to mess with little old ladies.

[txwhitedove]

37. Spam calls!! When you decide to go after them, I'll gladly go with you for that adventure. Grrr

[hermetic]

38. Cool!

It's a plan then. I do need to read that book first. Look for any good tips.

[usaf-vet]

32. Trump rally speeches are poor in grammar and sentence structure, but the fictional lies just keep on coming.

or mostly outdoor adventure mysteries. C.J. Box, Paul Doiron, Victoria Houston, Steve Hamilton, and William Kent Krueger are my favorites. I can't wait for the newest releases.

C.J. Box
J. A. Jance
John Grisham
Paul Doiron
Steve Hamilton
Victoria Houston
William Kent Krueger
John Sandford
Keith McCafferty

[hermetic]

33. Yeah,

I like outdoor adventures, too. Some of the best authors there. Don't recognize a couple of them, though.

[usaf-vet]

34. Which ones?

C.J. Box's main character, Joe Pickett, is a Wyoming game warden. https://mysterysequels.com/c-j-box-books-in-order

Paul Doiron's main character Mike Bowditch a Maine game warden. https://us.macmillan.com/series/mikebowditchmysteries

Victoria Houston's main character is a female sheriff in Wisconsin who also teaches fly casting and fishing.
All her books are quick reads centered on fly fishing mysteries. Loon Lake Mystery Books all her mysteries titles start with Dead followed by a fishing term For example: Dead Jitterbug https://mysterysequels.com/victoria-houston-books-in-order

William Kent Krueger's main character is Cork O’Connor, a small-town sheriff in northern Minnesota. His books also include many Native American characters, including Cork O’Connor, who is part Native American. https://mysterysequels.com/william-kent-krueger

HINT: No matter which of these authors read them in order they build on each other.

[hermetic]

35. Houstan and Hamilton

are new names for me. But they're on my list now. Thank you for taking the time to provide that info. That's what we're all here for.

[usaf-vet]

36. Start here: A Cold Day in Paradise.

A Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton (7-Feb-2002) Paperback https://a.co/d/1nqtHxK

It an actual town in upper Michigan. The Memorial for the Edmond Fitzgerald is just up the road from Paradise MI.

[yellowdogintexas]

39. Bedfordshire Clanger Calamity: Albert Smith's Culinary Capers Recipe 4

Last edited Sat Apr 13, 2024, 07:44 PM - Edit history (1)

I have been working on this series for a couple of weeks. The premise of the series:
When a retired detective and a former police dog set out on a culinary tour of the British Isles, they dream of tasty treats and delicious bakes …… what they find is mystery, mayhem, and murder.
Albert’s investigator’s brain sees things ordinary people might not, and his dog, Rex Harrison, cannot understand why the humans are struggling to solve each mystery. He can already smell the answer – it’s right before their noses.
Together they lend their skills to help the people they meet, but unwittingly they’ve discovered a master criminal at work, and what started out as a bit of fun, is getting deadlier with each new place they visit. In this installment .......
In the small Bedfordshire town of Biggleswade, retired detective Albert, and former police dog, Rex, are enjoying a peaceful break from the murder and mayhem of the last week. Until the waitress serving him is arrested for murder …

… and he discovers she killed the café’s owner three days ago. But Albert saw her eyes when the police came for her – she is innocent!

With evidence stacked against her, no alibi, and both motive and opportunity, she will carry the blame unless someone can prove otherwise. Left holding her dog when the police took her away, Albert does what he does best … he snoops.

There is something very odd going on, that’s for sure, and as he starts to investigate, the woman’s checkered past comes to life. Is she guilty after all?

In no time at all Albert becomes the target and this time it will take more than Rex to keep him safe. Is there a master criminal working behind the scenes? What possible motive could he have? One thing is for sure … this is no underdog tale!

'This book is laugh out loud funny! Rex Harrison the dog steals the show continually.’ ‘The adventures he and Rex get into are hilarious. You will not want to put it down and will be begging for the next book. Steve Higgs is a masterful storyteller!’ (Amazon notes end here)

Now I will tell you that I have fallen in love with Rex! Albert acquires a new assortment of ancillary characters in each book, and some of them are just hysterical.
In these trying times, it is good to find a nice lighthearted series that doesn't make me think too hard.

During the week I finished book 2 : Bakewell Tart Bludgeoning and all of book 3 :Stilton Slaughter. I am really enjoying Albert's tour of England with interesting local food specialities.

[hermetic]

42. Those sound great

Have put them on my list.