What Fiction are you reading this week, June 23, 2024?

[hermetic]

Amazing


Reading The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley. An adventure, comedy, and romance set against a historical backdrop with real-life characters like Samuel Pepys. "A smart and swiftly plotted novel that transports readers to a new world." New Amsterdam. This is an amazing history of New England, and Olde, in the 1600s.

Listening to Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, A book everyone loves. I'm surprised it's taken me this long to get to it. "An exquisite ode to the natural world against a heartbreaking coming of age story and a surprising murder investigation." Another amazing story.

They've turned the heat on now. Was 100 yesterday, predicted higher today. No AC here, just lots of fans. And lots of kitties stretched out everywhere. The floor's always cooler, of course, Maybe I should put myself and computer down there, too, for the rest of the day.

What amazing books are you reading this week?

[FalloutShelter]

1. Stephen King SS collection: You Like it Darker.

[Bristlecone]

2. H.M.S. Surprise - Patrick O'Brian

3rd book in Master and Commander series

[unc70]

3. Not everyone loves Crawdads

I really strongly dislike, almost hate, this book. I was born and raised where it is allegedly set. It is unrealistic and often factually wrong. It gets the North Carolina coast so wrong in most every way -- geography, distances, flora, fauna, and most everything else. A few examples:

The distances in the book just don't work. You can't make a day trip from the coast to Asheville for a little shopping, certainly not 60+ years ago. The crucial bus trip was also impossible.

She mistakenly places Greenville, NC in the Piedmont of NC. I suspect she mixed it up with Greenville, SC which is in the Piedmont of that state.

Fire towers were not placed directly on the coast. Those closest to the Atlantic are about 15-20 miles away.

The most egregious error is that there are no hurricanes destroying nearly every thing in their paths. The hurricanes in NC in the 1950s were exceedingly destructive, so much so that North Carolinians often describe history as being before or after Hurricane Hazel in 1954. On the south barrier islands, almost every building was destroyed. Those in this book would not have been spared.

And don't get started on the plot itself.

Anyway, not everyone loves this book or even likes it.

[japple]

23. I did not like it either and never finished it. I lived in NC for many years and those

geographical manipulations were frustrating to me. I understand that many, many people loved the book, but I couldn't get into it.

BTW, I remember Hurricane Hazel. My family lived near Petersburg, Virginia and our area was pummeled, though nothing like on the coast.

[hermetic]

39. Well dang

I thought you said you liked that one. Well, I was sick last week with something that rattled my brain and kept me in bed for days. So, let's blame that.
I am listening to, not reading, the book and have no idea where any of the places are. I turned it back on yesterday while working and didn't care for the direction it was taking. So, I turned it back in. Started The Last Orphan by
Gregg Hurwitz instead. A contemporary thriller just out. More my speed.

[japple]

42. Sorry, I didn't mean to put you off the book. I just found it so unbelievable that a child

would know what to do to prevent tetanus, how to obtain gasoline for a boat, keep food on the table, etc. The geographical liberties were too much for a friend of mine who lives near the Outer Banks. At least there is no shortage of books to choose from. Hope you have fully recovered from whatever form of illness you had. Was it covid?

[Progressive dog]

30. I didn't hate the book

but I'm not likely to seek out books by the same author.

[hermetic]

40. Easy enough

She hasn't written any other fiction.

[Lonestarblue]

4. Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

[hermetic]

21. I'm on the waiting list

for this one. How are you liking it?

[Lonestarblue]

38. Just started it. Friends said it s really good.

[japple]

34. I loved this book. Hope you like it as much as I did.

[Pegasus30]

5. Reading...

"Emma, a novel in three volumes", Austen, J. , 1816.

[mentalsolstice]

6. Lake Life, by David James Poissant

I’m almost finished. Next up will probably be a Dennis Lehane or a Harlan Coben. I loved the Crawdads movie, however, I haven’t read the book.

Stay cool! 😎

[hermetic]

20. That sounds interesting

A sweeping, domestic novel about a family that reunites at their North Carolina lake house for one last vacation before the home is sold -- and the long-buried secrets that are finally revealed.

You, too.

[rsdsharp]

7. I just finished Flags On The Bayou by James Lee Burke.

It’s set in 1863 in the New Iberia area, and isn’t a mystery; maybe it’s just a study in perseverance. Burke describes it as his “best work.” I’ve probably read 20 of his novels. Having just read two back-to-back, I find myself wondering if he uses his work to rid himself of negative thoughts so that he can function in his everyday life.

[Bayard]

8. I have only a few chapters left,

Of, "Crash and Burn," by Lisa Gardner. I always like her books, and zoom through them in a couple days.

Not so with Clive Barker's, "Sacrament." Took forever to wade though it, and big parts were just boring. He sure doesn't write them like he used to.

[hermetic]

19. Ms Gardner has written

quite a few books, Very popular. That one is a stand-alone thriller, with a cameo by her fan-favorite character. I'll be giving her a look.

I say, there's a Bayard family in The Judge Hunters. Nicholas Bayard was the16th mayor of New York and Peter Stuyvesant's brother-in-law. Any relation? Doesn't matter, I was just curious when I saw the name.

[Bayard]

36. Bayard was my last horse's name

It means, "bay horse."

I finished my book tonight. Another one of Gardner's--Wow, I didn't see that coming finishes.

[hermetic]

41. Cool

Thanks. I LOVE horses. Always have.

[Jilly_in_VA]

9. I just finished a weird one

Two Truths--Some Things You Can't Avoid by Dana C. Carver. I started it on the flight to Las Vegas because it was one I'd already downloaded and I wasn't about to spend a bunch of $$ to connect to Untied Airlines' wi-fi. It was a wild one but pretty good, positing that aliens called the Anunnaki had landed on Earth many thousands of years ago in search of gold to repair a hole similar to the ozone hole in their atmosphere. While they were here some had interbred with humans causing them to have what they referred to as Omega blood cells (which are not distinguishable by doctors). The percentage of these cells divides them into Prophets, Talents, and Masses. You have to pretty much suspend disbelief to enjoy this, but it's modestly good. Better than The DaVinci Code, for sure!

Don't know what I'm reading next because I finished that one so late last night, but it's got to be something light!

[Bayard]

37. I'll be looking for that one.

Thanks.

[Stardust Mirror]

10. Hooray! You're reading Christopher Buckley!

He has so many good books.

No new fiction for me this week, only new book is a memoir which isn't fiction, right?

[hermetic]

18. Right

Buckley is brilliant. I'm looking forward to Has Anyone Seen My Toes?, The Relic Master and They Eat Puppies, Don't They?

[Jeebo]

11. Re-reading "Way Station" by Clifford Simak

One of my favorite old science fiction novels. Won a Hugo. A Civil War veteran is visited by an extraterrestrial who turns his rural Wisconsin house into a way station for travelers around the galaxy to pass through, and the Civil War veteran becomes the custodian for the way station and doesn't age when he's in the house. It's in a very remote area, but eventually, people begin to notice that there's something very odd about that house and its occupant, and something that's dug up on the property ...

Saw the movie "Where the Crawdads Sing" a couple of weeks ago so I'll never read the novel. I will read the novel and then see the movie, but I'll never see the movie and then read the novel. Too many spoilers in the movie, and it takes a lot longer to read a novel than to watch a movie. It is a good movie, though, and I'm sure I would have loved the novel if I had read it first. My brother and his wife read it a couple of years ago and recommended it.

-- Ron

[hermetic]

15. Thanks

That sounds fun. I like rural Wisconsin and wouldn't mind living there, especially if in a house where I never aged.
I'll have to read that one some day. I'm curious how it ends.

[Jilly_in_VA]

29. I need to re-read The Way Station

I read it a long time ago, maybe when it first came out, and loved it. Also The Big Front Yard. I like Simak, and a lot of his stuff is available on Kindle pretty cheap.

[Fichefinder]

12. Dancers Lament (The Malazan Book of the Dead)

[hermetic]

17. Epic fantasy

Author: Ian C. Esslemont

[SeattleVet]

13. 'Apathy and Other Small Victories', by Paul Neilan

First book I've read in a long time that made me laugh out loud, waking my wife while I was reading before I went to sleep the other night.

Reminiscent of the writing style of Christopher Moore, with a bit of Douglas Arms mixed in.

[hermetic]

16. Must read

Thanks! I can always use a good laugh.

[SeattleVet]

22. Just be aware that this one has something to offend...

Last edited Sun Jun 23, 2024, 05:21 PM - Edit history (1)

Everyone.

Which may be a positive for some.

[Lulu KC]

14. Cass Timberlane by Sinclair Lewis n/t

[japple]

24. Thank you for the weekly thread, hermetic. Love the cat little free library!

I finished reading James by Percival Everett. What a story. He is a wonderful writer and I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys literary fiction.

I have Ann Patchett's book, Tom Lake queued up next on my e-reader. It's too hot to do anything except stay inside and read. Fortunately, we have AC, which has been a summer requirement in Georgia for many years. Even so, a couple of my cats like hanging out on the screened in porch day and night during the summer. Hope you and yours get a cool front soon.

[yellowdogintexas]

26. Our Liberal Ladies Who Lunch Book Club is reading " James" in August

It sounds really good.

[yellowdogintexas]

25. Broken Bayou by Jennifer Moorehead

In this debut thriller, a troubled child psychologist returns to a small Louisiana town to protect her secrets but winds up having to protect her life.

Dr. Willa Watters is a prominent child psychologist at the height of her career. But when a viral video of a disastrous television interview puts her reputation on the line, Willa retreats to Broken Bayou, the town where she spent most of her childhood summers. There she visits her aunts’ old house and discovers some of her unstable mother’s belongings still languishing in the attic—dusty mementos harboring secrets of her harrowing past.

Willa’s hopes for a respite are quickly crushed, not only by what she finds in that attic but also by what’s been found in the bayou.

With waters dropping due to drought, mysterious barrels containing human remains have surfaced, alongside something else from Willa’s past, something she never thought she’d see again. Divers, police, and media flood the area, including a news reporter gunning for Willa and Travis Arceneaux—a local deputy and old flame.

Willa’s fate seems eerily tied to the murders. And with no one to trust, she must use her wits to stay above water and make it out alive.

It is definitely building up the tension!! I am about 1/3 the way through it.

[yellowdogintexas]

28. I forgot to add the one I finished: Enemy of the People

The Untold Story of the Journalists Who Opposed Hitler by Terrence Petty

A stirring true story of the journalists who dared to oppose Hitler—and the campaign waged against them.

After serving in the First World War, Adolf Hitler encountered a serious obstacle to his plotting for power when the Munich Post, drawing on sources within the Nazi Party, began tracking the corruption and dark dreams of his inner circle. With leaked documents from Hitler’s political rivals, who were shocked by his violent rhetoric and fearing the worst, the Post battled Hitler for ownership of the truth.

After starting with libel lawsuits and anti-press propaganda and proceeding to assaults on editors at the Post, the Nazis finally resorted to raiding the paper’s offices, shutting production down, and rounding up the staff. Enemy of the People brilliantly captures the dangerous times of Germany’s Weimar era and the courage of the free press—people driven to speak louder than the enemy himself.

This was a fairly quick read, and is more like a journalistic series. I liked it though.

[JustTooMuch]

27. Science fiction

The Book that Broke the World by Mark Lawrence. Book 2 in a series. Can highly recommend

[k55f5r]

33. Mark Lawrence is a great fantasy writer.

I love everything he's written.
I finished The Book That Wouldn't Burn by him a couple of months ago. Good read.

[Srkdqltr]

31. I'm reading. The Eyre Affair:A Thursday Next Novel. Jasper Fforde.

Finished Killing Time , Jodi Taylor.
Next book People in Glass Houses, Jayne Castle.

I have no clue why I like these books but they are different.

[NoRethugFriends]

32. New York times

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

35. The OId Lion by

Jeff Shaara.

It's about Teddy Roosevelt, and is absolutely amazing.