Rain here. Flooding in St. Louis. One hundred degrees in the Pacific Northwest. Whatever your weather, I hope you’re staying safe. And, a good book might take your mind off of the weather.
I haven’t started Heather Graham’s Aura of Night yet because I’m finishing up an October release for a review. But, I just picked it up at the library, and I’ll find time for it this weekend. It’s the 37th Krewe of Hunters novel, featuring the FBI team that deals with paranormal matters and murder. This is the second book in her trilogy involving the Law triplets. “True evil never dies. It only waits in the dark. All book editor Megan Law wants is to bury the memory of her brutal kidnapping and move on with her life. So when her publisher asks her to spin her hellish experience into the next bestseller, Megan agrees only because it might help keep other women safe. Then a mysterious, gruesome package arrives in the mail—a reminder that the nightmare isn’t over just yet. FBI investigator Ragnar Johnson is running out of time. He knows in his gut there’s more to the recent Embracer killings, and he needs Megan’s help. Even with their rocky past behind them, working together now isn’t going to be easy. But when things take a deadly turn, Megan and Ragnar discover a deep connection that they’ll have to use.”
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Happy Monsoon Season! It has been under 100 degrees all week and today we woke up to a real soaker. We’ve already lost 2 trees (one right into the house!) Arborists and tree removal companies are up to their ears in work. Nonetheless, I STILL love the monsoon in Arizona.
While it rained this morning I was reading The Finders by Jeffrey Burton (at your recommendation!) So very good and I love the humor, Sue and Vira. I just finished the audio of Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays by Minnie Driver. Her British narration was delicious and her writing was delectable. Finally, I loved Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor. Written in 1938 the story is told in epistolary format of two friends and business partners. One stays in San Francisco to run their art business while the other returns to his home country of Germany. Letters sent across the oceans show the affection in their friendship, but can it endure the poison of Nazism? Oh my, this was soooo good! Only 96 pages, with foreward and Afterword, but it packs a punch! I would sybmit that it be taught in every high school, in Holocaust Lit classes and Literature classes who typically study The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
I hope your reading is as rich and good as mine has been this week!
Address Unknown certainly sounds very good and the length is especially enticing. I will have to get a copy.
It was the perfect length. I love how the epistolary format doesn’t require a narrator so you get each person’s direct POV. I hope you find it thought provoking.
It does sound good. I downloaded a copy from the library.
I hope it’s a hit for you. (I did it with a physical copy so let me know how the ending pages are displayed for you. ) Enjoy!
Hello, everyone! Weather is consistently in the nineties in Northern California, but I’m used to it. Thank goodness for A/C! Here’s what I’ve been reading this week.
What attracts me the most to Daryl Wood Gerber’s Fairy Garden Mysteries are the parts where fairy gardens are discussed in detail–how to make one, how to find a theme, how they look, and so on. I also enjoy the beautiful descriptions of almost everything in a book, as the author has a real knack for loving description but doesn’t include so much that it is a distraction from the plot. The stories do require a willing suspension of disbelief, as there are a few “real” fairies in Carmel, CA, but of course there aren’t many people who can see them, or believe they exist. Courtney owns Open Your Imagination, which not only sells and makes fairy gardens but throws themed parties and events. In this third installment, A HINT OF MISCHIEF, a wealthy local asks Courtney to put together a lavish birthday party for one of her friends, inviting their former sorority sisters. One of the invitees is a movie actress, and when she is found dead, it definitely casts a pall over the event planning. I enjoyed spending time with some familiar characters and some new ones and appreciated the lengthy “Cast of Characters” at the beginning of the book. The mystery is well developed, but the element of whimsy is a more important selling point of this delightful series for me.
Matt Goldman’s Detective Nils Shapiro series is outstanding–I’ve read all four books–so I was delighted to find his latest book, CAROLINA MOONSET, a standalone. All of Goldman’s hallmarks are present: expert plotting, effortless style, realistic dialogue, and lovely prose, not to mention many characters to root for. Middle-aged Joey has traveled from Chicago to his childhood home town of Beaufort, South Carolina to look in on his aging parents. His father, Marshall, is suffering the effects of increasing dementia that has virtually erased his short-term memory, although his long-term recollections are still sharp. Joey’s mother, dedicated to Marshall but exhausted by her role as his caregiver, is relieved when Joey suggests she take a break to play in a pickleball tournament in Florida. While she is gone, a member of the town’s wealthiest family is shot and killed, and the police seem determined to pin the murder on disabled Marshall, who detests that family and whose gun is missing. What follows is a compelling story about childhood memories, long-held secrets, family loyalty, and romantic love, peopled with nuanced, memorable characters. Goldman is an expert writer and this book is highly recommended.
In LET IT SNOW by Beth Moran, Bea Armstrong is a character who is easy to root for–a popular local TV meteorologist in her late twenties who loves what she does and loves her family, but doesn’t feel they respect her career. She also struggles with an on-again, off-again boyfriend who is now out of her life (she thinks) after an 11-year relationship. This December she finally has enough time off to spend Christmas week with her loved ones, but things get complicated. Bea gets a last-minute invitation to interview for her dream job at England’s national network in London, but it will take several days out of the week she promised her parents. There is a snowstorm threatening, and her destination is a 6-hour drive away in Scotland, so Bea has no choice but to accept when her childhood nemesis, Henry Fairfax, volunteers to be her driver. That’s when the story really took off for me. The multi-day group interview led by a billionaire media mogul is filled with unexpected delight (and horror), as the candidates vie for the top slot on the leader board, and is often hilarious. It would be a spoiler to indicate how the interview turns out, but interesting subplots include how to save the financially-challenged school owned by Bea’s onsite parents, whether Bea’s beloved grandmother (formerly a celebrated singer) will overcome her medical issues, which of Bea’s two suitors is destined to be play a prominent romantic role in Bea’s future, and what job will make her the happiest. Loved it! (August)
Margie, I loved the Beth Moran book I read earlier, and I have a couple of hers lined up on my Kindle. I like her writing.
I’m happy to hear that Carolina Moonset is so good. Like you, I really enjoyed the Nils Shapiron books.
Sounds as if you had a good reading week! Sending hugs!
Ohh, Margie, you have me interested in the Fairy Garden series – thank you!
I was on vacation last week, and had a good time. Lots of reading time. However, I’ve been sick this week and tested positive for Covid this morning. Been mild so far; hopefully it stays that way.
Wednesday, I finished MURDER OF A MAIL-ORDER BRIDE by Mimi Granger. A very fun, creative mystery.
Thursday, I’ll be starting A DISH TO DIE FOR, the newest Key West Food Critic Mystery from Lucy Burdette.
Oh, Mark. I’m glad you had a much needed good vacation, but I’m sorry about the COVID. Take care of yourself!
Mark, so sorry to hear you have Covid. I sure hope it’s a light, quick case. I’ve talked about this to friends, and it seems there are more people I know who are getting Covid than ever before. I’ll be reading Lucy’s A Dish to Die For after I finish my current book, too.
Good morning from a cloudy Aberdeenshire, where the current temperature is 55F – I’m happy with that, though we could do with a bit of that rain you mentioned Lesa. But we did have a good dose of it one day recently, so at least the river and the burn are looking a lot healthier, and I had a couple of nights respite from garden watering. Still feeding the birds though, as I read that it is very difficult for them when the ground is so hard and dry.
This week I am still reading FROM THE HEART OF COVINGTON (Joan Medlicott) and I have also started THE PUMPKIN EATER by Penelope Mortimer. I enjoyed her short story collection SATURDAY LUNCH WITH THE BROWNINGS. The Pumpkin Eater is her most famous work, and it already reminds me of THE BELL JAR, and to a certain extent Margaret Drabble’s THE GARRICK YEAR. It’s very much of its time, and about a woman drowning in an affluent but unhappy 1950s/60s marriage. Mortimer, as I’ve probably mentioned before, was the first wife of famous barrister, writer and philanderer John Mortimer (of Rumpole fame), and I imagine this book is at least semi-autobiographical.
On TV I finished re-watching IT’S A SIN, and again cried at the ending. It is such a good drama, the acting perfect, the story so well told, and so shocking, even to we who were there at the time.
This week I’ve had a number of good walks. On Tuesday my friend Karen and I had a lovely time wandering through the Drum Castle estate policies – they have been closed off for months since the November storms caused so much devastation, and although they are now open again, it is still surprising to see how much the landscape has been changed by the loss of so many trees. Afterwards we went to the Mains of Drum garden centre for a cup of tea and a catch up. Karen’s son is about to start a year in Strasbourg as part of his degree in International Relations. In the past this would have been quite straightforward and covered under the Erasmus scheme. Now that our great leaders have dragged us out of the EU (remember Scotland voted by over 60% – 72% in Edinburgh – to remain, so no wonder we’re cross) it is proving unbelievably complicated, poor Karen (who is an engineer, so perfectly used to dealing with data and facts) is finding the navigation through all the red tape absolutely dreadful. Calum will have to make a trip to Edinburgh to be interviewed at the Consulate, but he can’t do that until he has the right reference numbers, which are proving nigh-on impossible to obtain. Nightmare!
But Karen had also just been to Berlin to see Coldplay (present from her sister) and had a marvellous time. We went to Berlin in winter-time, and although it was still amazing I think she was able to do a lot more in summer. It’s a very young, dynamic and alternative city.
Yesterday I attended a talk at Aberdeen Art Gallery about GRAVE GOODS, ie the items various cultures placed in graves to assist the soul in the underworld. In Ancient Egypt this included slaves, who were ritually sacrificed for this purpose – though later this practice was abandoned and replaced with models of slaves. The talk covered many cultures – Africa, China, New Zealand – and was very interesting. I was telling Madeleine about it afterwards and she reminded me that the little models of babies in boxes, found on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, had for a while been thought to be associated with some bizarre burial ritual here – until they were found to be a hoax. Neil Rankin still managed to write them into one of his Rebus novels to good effect though.
On Saturday the gallery opens a major exhibition of the GALLOWAY HOARD – a vast collection of Viking relics unearthed in Scotland in 2014. It is not yet known if these were buried to hide people’s wealth or to provide for the afterlife. I will try to get in to see this.
Of course being in town I couldn’t stop myself from making a few charity shop visits – in one I found the very map we need for our forthcoming holiday on Harris and Lewis, so I went to ask how much it was, and was informed that I could have any six books for £1. So this is what I got:
The OS map as above
DATE WITH MYSTERY – another in Julia Chapman’s Dales Detective series
THE TERRACOTTA DOG by Andrea Camilleri
FLOWERS IN THE RAIN by Rosamunde Pilcher
THE DIARY OF A BOOKSELLER by Shaun Bythell – I do have a paperback copy of this, but I found a beautiful hardback and could not resist it; I’ll give the paperback to someone else!
THE INVENTION OF WINGS by Sue Monk Kidd
Today I’m meeting my friend Heather, so I’d better get organised now. Have a great week everyone!
Rosemary
What a mess your “great leaders” made of that whole EU thing. I’m sorry you were forced to leave the EU, despite the wishes of Scotland.
Oh, I’d love to see the GALLOWAY HOARD exhibit. It sounds fascinating.
But, even more interesting is what you manage to pick up at the charity shops. Now, when you have the chance, you have to explain what you mean by the “forthcoming holiday on Harris and Lewis” because I don’t understand.
Well, yes, John Mortimer was a philanderer, but to me it isn’t all black & white. She was his first wife, but he was her second husband. She had two children from her first husband and two more from two other men she had affairs with. In fact, she met Mortimer while pregnant with her fourth child and married him the day her divorce became final. Not at all whitewashing his behavior, which was appalling at times, but laying out the facts.
We watched the final GRACE (so far; a third series is in the works, I believe), and even by previous episodes’ standards (and the first included a bachelor party where the groom was left buried alive (with a breathing tube) by his “friends”), this last episode was bad, with doctors seeking out illegal immigrants and killing them to get their organs, which they sold to rich people who needed transplants. Still enjoying LONDON KILLS.
Good morning. We finally had a few nice days where it was below 90 and not humid so we were able to go to a free concert at a local park last night. Unfortunately it looks like we have another heatwave next week and we really need some rain. There have been storms but they keep staying just west of us.
I finished HOLY CHOW by David Rosenfelt. It’s the latest in his Andy Carpenter series. I enjoyed it even though the stories are somewhat predictable.
I just started VENOMOUS LUMPSUCKER by Ned Beauman and I’m not sure about it yet. Set in the near future, tens of thousands of species are going extinct every year, including food items. Bio banks of DNA samples have been set up with the hope that one day the Earth will be cleaned up and species can be restored. Until a cyberattack wipes out all of the biobanks
Good morning, Sandy. I’m glad you had the chance to get out to one concert during the break in temperatures!
I don’t read the Andy Carpenter books, but they have some of the cutest covers I’ve ever seen.
Heat warning here in northern NV through the weekend “While daytime high temperatures will be near or above records, limited overnight cooling will exacerbate heat health impacts”. With a trip to the library yesterday to pick up a stack of holds, I’m set. I’m saving the early morning hours to water this year’s plantings.
New to me and I enjoyed the campy fun of Elizabeth Peter’s NAKED ONCE MORE (1989).
The brash and decisive ex-librarian, now author, Jacqueline Kirby is chosen to write a sequel to another author’s blockbuster hit. The original author is missing and recently declared dead. But finding out what happened to the original author is more interesting than writing the sequel.
And a new book, DESOLATION CANYON. The book just sounded interesting when featured here in a recent give-away. The authorship is a bit confusing, P.J. Tracy is the pseudonym of mother-daughter writing duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, but P.J. died back in 2016.
It’s the second in LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan series. The book does the suspenseful build-up well with the Russian Mob, a cult and multiple murders. The cult is situated at an abandoned mine site in the CA desert and, honestly, it didn’t seem as if the author had ever been to a mine or that desert.
I’m now deep into Richard Power’s THE ECHO MAKER, winner of the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction.
On a winter night on a remote Nebraska road, 27-year-old Mark Schluter flips his truck in a near-fatal accident. His older sister Karin returns reluctantly to their hometown to nurse Mark back from a traumatic head injury. But when he emerges from a protracted coma, Mark believes that this woman-who looks, acts, and sounds just like his sister-is really an identical impostor (Capgras Delusion).
A gripping mystery set in Kearney, NE against the Platte River’s massive spring bird migration.
Oh, MM! I loved some of Elizabeth Peters’ other series more than I did the Amelia Peabody ones. I loved the Vicky Bliss ones. And, some of her Gothics were terrific, both the standalones she wrote as Peters as well as the Barbara Michaels ones.
Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels are the same person? Did not know that.
Yes, Diane.
Barbara Mertz wrote under both names. Her non fiction Egyptology writing was under her own name.
MM, I liked the first Tracy book in the new series, but found this Mafia one unreadable, and quit it in the middle. I hope there will be another Monkeewrench book next.
Good morning! Our weather is quite cool this morning, just 60F with a high of 75F. We are expected to heat up with very hot, humid weather by next week. We could really use some rain. My local library is preparing to move from their temporary location back to their permanent location after some remodeling and will be closed for a month! The good news is that no books will be due during their closure. I will be stocking up before they close.
I finally read Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. It’s a beautiful story, albeit tragic and sad. The summer of 1961 Frank Drum is thirteen years old. It should be a summer like most other summers, hot, dry and full of time. Instead, it is a summer of tragedy. Five deaths will occur in the small town of New Bremen, Minnesota before the summer comes to an end. It was a great summer book.
I also recently read Sunburst by Susan May Warren. Her books are typically action/adventure/suspense with a little romance. This one was heavier on the romance. The highlight of the book was the traditional Nigerian wedding. The author’s daughter-in-law is Nigerian and was able to help her with the details.
Ranger Kingston, former Navy SEAL, is part of a mission to rescue his brother and others from a terrorist in Nigeria. Among the hostages rescued is Noemi Sutton, a woman Ranger met years ago and never thought he would see again.
Noemi Sutton is working for an organization attempting to unite refugee orphans with their families. They were captured after discovering a village where everyone had died of smallpox. But, why were they taken? As they attempt to find a safe place to hide, it seems they can’t escape the terrorists. When they finally find refuge at the home of Noemi’s uncle, who happens to be a king, things get really complicated.
Have a good week!
Thank you, Gretchen! Enjoy your week, and your reading. Yes! You definitely have to stock up before the library closes for a month! I hope the remodeling makes the library look fresh.
Oh, Ordinary Grace. An exceptional book.
Mark, I hope you will feel better soon and glad your symptoms are mild.
Our Cincinnati weather is like yours, Lesa. Very hot or lots of rain. We are going on day three of mostly rain. Too be honest, I don’t mind because it is a break from the heat!
This week I finished Death by Beach Read by Eva Gates. I am either up or down on this series and this one was definitely not one of the better ones to me. Connor and Lucy are moving into their fixer up beach house. Lucy hears noises and thinks someone is inside the house while Connor is away. Her suspicions prove correct when a dead body turns up. Lots of paranormal theories courtesy Louise Jane who is still the most annoying character despite the author’s efforts to tone her down. I was so unhappy with this one, I might be breaking up with the series.
Next, I read The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver. Major Ramsey once again enlists the help of Electra McDonnell in thwarting the Germans during WWII. I love the banter between the major and Ellie. This one involves a woman found drowned in the Thames with a locked bracelet. I find these so much fun that I wish they were being made into a series on television. I cannot wait for the next one.
Finally, I finished A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen. Esme Nash has put her life on hold after a tragedy. Now that her father is dead, she moves to NYC to dog sit for a wealthy entertainment lawyer in rehab. There she needs to figure out whether she wants to try to pick up the life she had planned before the tragedy or forge a new one. I’m not a shoe person but I liked the description of the shoes for each chapter. Mostly, I loved the friendship that developed between Esme and Sy Katz, the 90-year-old retired deli owner. In her notes, the author said the character was based on her father.
Happy Reading!
I know what you mean, Sharon, about breaking up with a series. I reviewed a book recently, and I’m about to break up with that series because the main character is starting to drive me nuts. She’s a little too needy for me.
You’re right. Last night was almost cool after the rain. And, it certainly greened everything up. We really needed that rain.
Happy Reading to you, too!
Sharon, I really enjoy the Electra McDonnell series too! Can’t wait for the next one.
Good morning all,
Is it me or does this summer feel like it is just flying by? Ugh. I have a half a day on Fridays during the summer. On those days, my husband and I try to do “summery” (a word I am sure I just made up) type of activities. Last week we met my nephew and his family in Hoboken, NJ. They are visiting from Florida. We had dinner and a lovely walk along the Hudson River with the NYC skyline in the background. This Friday we are traveling to the Delaware Water Gap to stay overnight at an inn that showcases jazz music. My daughter will be home next week from NH and a day at the beach is planned. Just trying to savor the summer.
I am currently reading The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe. This is book 7 in the Beach House series. I read the first one, The Beach House, a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I skipped ahead to book 7 because I won a copy on Goodreads. I am trying to get through the backlog of books that I own (ha, ha the joke is on me. That won’t be happening anytime soon. One book my be read only to be replaced by several more.). You could read this one as a standalone but I think it would be so much more enjoyable if it was read in order. I am going to have to go back to book #2 and continue on to find out what happened to my favorite characters. I am especially enjoying the setting of Isle of Palms, SC. I was just there in April and can easily visualize it.
I am listening to Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand and enjoying it very much.
On Apple TV we watched Slow Horses based on the Mick Herron book of the same name. It was a little slow in the beginning but it picked up and was very good. My only complaint was that at times I had a hard time understanding the accents and missing part of the dialogue. Overall a good show.
Wishing you all a wonderful week.
Good morning, Kathleen!
Yes, summer is flying by. I agree. I love your idea of doing something “summery” on the days you’re off. What a wonderful way to enjoy time with family and the summer itself. Good for you!
I read and enjoyed The Beach House, and many of the books in the series. I agree. It’s nice to read the books in order, and catch up with favorite characters. That’s why I read so many of my favorite mysteries in order.
Enjoy tomorrow and your week!
Just started Moonflower Murders after really enjoying Magpie Murders a few months ago. I’m a big fan of Horowitz’s Midsomer Murders and Poirot screen writing!
Now, that’s a series I read slightly out of order, Becky, but I do enjoy the books.
Hi Lesa! I’m reading House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke. I do believe he is my all time favorite author.
I haven’t read one of his books in years, Patricia, but he’s such a beautiful writer. That’s what I do remember from the early books in the Dave Robicheaux series.
I’ve been gravitating towards lighter reads recently, along with books with a touch of magic. They restoreth my soul.
Mad Honey is not one of those.
Jodi Picoult and Jemnifet Boylan have written a very, I think, important book. And have done it beautifully, with respect and sensitivity. I loved it. It’s one i’ll be encouraging friends and family to read.
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising their beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.
Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.
And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can trust him completely. . . .
Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in Ash, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.
Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.
I don’t think Donna has read this one yet, Kaye, although I gave her an ARC. Jodi Picoult is one of her favorite authors. She appreciates all the social issues she handles in her book. I prefer the lighter reads myself, and the books with a touch of magic. Your last couple recommendations were appreciated!
I will be interested in hearing what Donna thinks.
And now back to light!
Kaye, I wonder if you might like A Shoe Story despite the main character not yet being 30? Margie read it and enjoyed it as well.
Sharon, i will take a look – thank you!
Just got this one on NetGalley–didn’t expect to be accepted. Looking forward to reading it.
Good morning! After an unusually cool May and June the heat has caught up with us here in eastern Washington state. It will be over a hundred today and I have to go to the “big cities” an hour west of us. Luckily my appointment is mid morning so I should be home before the worst of the heat.
I read THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY by Sulari Gentil and it’s one of my best books of the year. A bit confusing and I need someone to discuss the ending with – I hope my book group chooses it for next year, I certainly won’t mind reading it again.
Kathleen, I really like Mary Alice Monroe’s books and miss that she doesn’t seem to have a new one out this summer – I think she wrote a children’s book.
Ouch, Cindy. I hope you do get home before the worst of the heat today.
Glad to ear you enjoyed The Woman in the Library! I love Sulari. I enjoy her books, but I just love her.
Starting Anne Tyler’s French Braid, listened to disc one, Don;t have my bearings yet.
And A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings. Page one!
And a book I bought for my grandchildren, The World’s Most Ridulous Animals by Philip Bunting. I have gotten into the habit of looking for them on the Internet like this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cfYezXDyAA
Carolee, I’ll be interested in your reaction to French Braid. Feelings have been mixed on that one.
We’re back! For the second time this week (after Saturday)< we had a concert (Jackson Browne at the Beacon) and stayed over in a hotel (Marriott Marquis in Times Square this time). I did read the earlier comments on the phone, and will add my own comments later. but let me get to my reading first. The weather was been better the last couple of days after a six day heat wave, but the heat and humidity are back today.
First I read the previously mentioned collections – MENDOCINO AND OTHER STORIES by Ann Packer and the MEGAPACK collection by David Alexander. Next it was THE HIDDEN ONE by Linda Castillo. Yes, it takes place mostly away from Painters Mill and her usual crew of characers, but I still liked it quite a bit and would definitely recommend it to fans of the series.
Last but not least was COLD FEAR by Brandon Webb and John David Mann. This is the second thriller about Finn, the resourceful former Navy SEAL. You know how sometimes a book is the second or fourth or eighth in a series and someone says, "It's part of a series but you can read it on its own"? Well, that is definitely NOT the case here. You really need to read the first book, STEEL FEAR, first, or you won't really get who Finn is or the whole back story (though bits of it are referred to here). Last book took place entirely on an aircraft carrier traveling from the Persian Gulf to San Diego. This one is entirely in Reykjavik, Iceland, with Finn still on the run after the first book, trying to get answers to who was behind a massacre in Yemen, dodging one of the most vicious killers you will ever read about, and dealing with a helpful cab driver, the sister of a dead girl, and a very smart Reykjavik police officer (Krista), while trying to stay out of jail, solve what is going on, and find the really dangerous Boone. If you like thrillers, you MUST read these. Jackie rad this pretty much at the same time as me and finished it today too. Highly recommended, but read the first book first.
Current reading: Martin Edwards, ed. GUILTY CREATURES, the latest British Library collection, all with animal connections; the second collection of Jean Rhys stories; THE ORDEAL OF MRS. SNOW, a collection of stories by Patrick Quentin; and Emma Straub's time travel book, THIS TIME TOMORROW. Alice is about to turn 40. She loves her job as an admissions officer in a fancy Upper West Side private school. She has no trouble turning down her boyfriend's half-hearted proposal. And she is, sadly, watching her 73 year old father slowly dying. Then on the day of her 40th birthday, she suddenly wakes up in her father's home, only it is her SIXTEENTH birthday and her father is healthy and not yet 40. Now that I finished COLD FEAR I will be anxious to see what Straub does with the rest of this one . (I've read 25% so far.)
I have two more books – including the new Paula Munier – ready to pick up at the library.
Next week: THE MUSIC MAN on Broadway.
Jeff! I can’t wait to hear what you and Jackie think of The Music Man.
I have a thriller you might want to try. I didn’t read it myself, so I never reviewed it here. But, I suggested James Byrne’s The Gatekeeper to my brother-in-law & he’s loving it. He said he can’t put it down, so dinner was a half an hour late last night because he’s the cook in the family. That’s the sign of a good book in my family!
I’ll be curious to see what you think of This Time Tomorrow when you finish. But, try The Gatekeeper when you get a chance.
The weather here is hot, but it’s been hotter. Been able to get stuff done.
This week I read:
Dark Vector by Graham Brown; Clive Cussler’s Kurt Austin goes on another adventure. Brown focused on the wrong villain.There was an interesting criminal group, but he put all the onus on the usual cliched inasane billionaire. Priorities, Man!
The Caribbean Affair by Nick Thacker; A family man gets into a Die Hard situation on cruise ship. Fortunately for him, the terrorists are really inept.
Rocket Man: Master of the Universe by Yoel Bereket; Kim Jong Un and Dennis Rodman go to space in this weird parody of a children’s book.
Payback Brother by Mike Faricy; Marshal Matt Dillon (not the guy played by James Arness) is trying to solve a series of murders and stop a gang war. He’s most interested in sleeping around, but work keeps him too busy, dangit!
The Hunger by Whitley Strieber; A good vampire story. Maybe the last really good vampire story. Strieber wrote it before all the publicity from Communion ruined him. The movie is one of the last really good vampire films, He also wrote Wolfen, one of the last really good werewolf novels. Too bad Strieber never not around to a take of Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The Undertaker: Death Transition by John Doe; When a 10 year old child commits suicide, a mysterious killer runs rampant in a city. Definitely not for the woke.
Rocket Man just sounds really weird, Glen.
I remember the days when Whitley Strieber was a popular author. Communion just ruined him for most of the library readers.
We have had mild weather for weeks now, the high temperatures not even getting up to the 80s. No rain though. We seldom get rain in the summer. Very different from Alabama where I grew up.
Since last week I have finished reading two books.
The first was SNIPPETS OF SERBIA by Emma Fick. It is not really a graphic novel, but very similar. One reviewer described it as an “illustrated travel journal.” The book includes the author’s water color illustrations of the parts of Serbia that she visited. She is of Serbian backgound and she spent some time there (a few months teaching English in 2013 and 2014 and then returned for a few more months after receiving a grant to work on this illustrated book). The illustrations are wonderful. A lot of food. And architecture. There is not a lot of text, so a mostly quick read although it takes a while to absorb all the differences in various parts of Serbia.
Last night I finished reading HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA. This is not the type of book I usually read, although I am expanding to many new-to-me types of books lately. The two main characters are a curmudgeonly old woman (86 years old) and her grandson that she found only late in life. Both have poor social skills, so getting together is an effort. She goes to Antarctica to spend time at a research station for penguins. That part stretches credibility a bit but I did not care, I like to read about Antarctica. I loved the book, every bit of it.
I had started reading THE MAN FROM BERLIN by Luke McCallin last week, before both of the ones I just finished. It is a historical mystery, set during World War II, in Sarajevo. Sarajevo is now the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is next to Serbia. During World War II it was part of Yugoslavia, I believe. Serbians are mentioned a lot in the book, so there is somewhat of a connection between this one and SNIPPETS OF SERBIA.
Thank you, Tracy. I’m going to have to mention Snippets of Serbia to a friend who was just over in that section of the world. I think he might like it.
Good afternoon from the seared plains of NE Dallas where the yard is dry straw. Over 100 yet again and we are now classified as “severe drought.” While DFW airport has not had rain in over fifties days, the streak here at Casa Tipple and Home Eatery Library we are way longer than that. Beyond 75 days. It has been brutal.
Reading wise, I have moved on from A Reluctant Saint by Tricia Fields (still have to write the review) and am deep into An Unforgiving Place by Claire Kells. Another NetGallery ARC and second in her National Park Mystery Series. very much enjoying it.
KRT
I’m sure St. Louis would love to send you some of that rain, Kevin. I’m sorry.
I’m not familiar with Claire Kells’ books. I’ll have to check them out. Thank you! Stay inside & cool!
This is my review of the first book: https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2022/07/review-vanishing-edge-novel-by-claire.html
I enjoy the reads. I was very outdoorsy until the last couple of decades when life and then getting sick with whatever it is I have disabled me and made it pretty much impossible. The only way now is through books like this.
Thanks for the review. I worked in Yosemite for years and always enjoy the Parks as a setting.
Thank you, Kevin! I’ve been to a number of the national parks, but I am not, nor have I ever been, an outdoorsy person.
I’m still not an early commenter, but at least this week I remembered before nighttime. I am grateful we are getting some rain here and the temps are a bit better, 89 today. The next few days will be low 80s and a 78. Yay! I would love to find a place that’s cooler in the summer than here and at least spend summers there. My sister-in-law just got back from a vacation and Michigan and said she wore a sweater every night. That sounds so nice. I am not a fan of summer because of the hot weather. I’m holding on until fall, my favorite season, gets here.
I’ve been doing work on several reviews this past week and haven’t gotten much reading done. I did finish The LIar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard, and I’m looking forward to her new one, Run Time, that’s out in August. I really loved The Nothing Man by her. I’m currently reading Death in a Blackout, a new series by Jessica Ellicott. It’s #1 in the WPC Billie Harkness mysteries. I’m enjoying it, as it takes me to a part of England I haven’t yet read about in my WWII fiction reading. The city of Hull is where Billie Harknenss ends up after her mother dies and her father and brother are away at war. Her father was rector of the church in Barton St Giles in Wiltshire, and she and her mother had continued to live at the rectory awaiting word on him. But, when Billie’s mother dies, the villagers and the acting rector think it’s no longer proper for the two of them to be living under the same roof. The acting rector says he will marry her in what ranks as one of the worst proposals ever. Luckily, Billie has received a letter from a cousin in Hull who has invited her to come to her house in Hull. Billie leaves on the first train out and arrives in Hull right in time for their first air raid. I am at the part where the damage is being assessed from the bombing and Billie’s cousin has arranged a job in the library for Billie.
Next up for me are Lucy Burdette’s A Dish to Die For, Jennifer Hillier’s Things We Do in the Dark, Ellen Byron’s The Bayous Thief, and Elizabeth Hand’s Holuloa Road. I also was reading about The Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner on the Jungle Red Writers blog today, and I’ll be adding that to the TBR list to be read sometime.
Going backwards, Kathy. My sister read The Bloomsbury Girls and really liked it. I enjoyed The Bayou Thief.
Death in a Blackout sound fascinating.Thank you for the summary of that. And, you aren’t even last today.
I know others who went to Michigan because it was cooler, and they enjoyed their trip.
Lesa, I remember going to my sister’s house in Chardon, Ohio (northeast of Cleveland) in August, and the nights were cool, too. I can’t remember how far north your mother and sisters live in Ohio.
Kathy, My Mom lives in a town right on Lake Erie, so they have pleasant nights. One sister is just a half hour south of there, and the other is in Columbus.
So sorry for St Louis. I saw it on the news last night. I’m from NC so we have dealt with that plenty of times. I am currently reading Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan and listening to the Retreat by Sarah Pearse. Enjoying both, such opposite reads.
Oh, I guess those are opposite reads, Katherine. I read The Retreat, and enjoyed it. And, I have Nora Goes Off Script someplace around here. I hope you continue to enjoy both!
I just finished Molten Mud Murder by Sara E Johnson. I learned so much about New Zealand and the plot was interesting. Have put book two on hold as I am anxious to read more of this series.
I know, Karen! What an ingenious method of killing someone off! But, you do learn so much about New Zealand. I agree.