Welcome to our Thursday book salon, where we all talk about what we’ve been reading or listening to for the past week. “Book salon”. Makes it sound impressive, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s just my favorite place to hang out and talk with you about books. I hope you find a book or two to add to your TBR pile this week.

Thanks to a friend, Aubrey Hamilton, I’m reading Michael Gilbert’s Game Without Rules. She sent copies of Gilbert’s two Calder and Behrens collections. I only read the first story last night. As much as I enjoyed it, I’ll probably go through it with a story an evening. Here’s a synopsis that summarizes it better than I can. “Mr. Calder lived with a golden deerhound named Rasselas in a cottage in Kent. Mr. Behrens lives with his aunt and keeps bees. No one would in the least suspect that the pair are in fact agents for the British Joint Services Standing Committee and they are often tasked with jobs that no one else can take on – simply because of the extreme nature of the action needed. They are dangerous – and they are watched. Their adventures in this series of thrillers show the author to have a clear grasp of counterintelligence operations. Written with Gilbert’s usual dry wit, panache and style, the suspense is at times killing!” The first story, “The Road to Damascus” was intriguing and fun.

What about you? What are you reading this week?