I have a confession to make. You’re going to be on your own to discuss this week’s reading. I may find time to drop in, but no promises. I’m in North Carolina with my Mom and sisters. We’re visiting Biltmore today with the Chihuly exhibit in the gardens. And, tonight, we’re going to see the exhibit lit for the evening. Here’s a link if you’d like to see what we’re going to do. http://bit.ly/2zz2d0D
We all know I don’t read much when I’m with family. So, instead, let’s talk about what you’re reading. Let us know what you’re reading or listening to this week.
Have a great time, Lesa! We went to the Biltmore after the Bouchercon in Raleigh a couple of years ago and had a terrific time. Asheville (and the area) is a great place to visit.
Books? I was somewhat disappointed in the fifth Chronicles of St. Mary's book by Jodi Taylor, A TRAIL THROUGH TIME, especially after the earlier books in the series. It was OK but not the best.
Current reading, starting with the story collections:
Martin Edwards, ed. FOREIGN BODIES. Latest in the British Library Crime series, this one featuring translated stories by foreign authors. I'm nearly done with it, and I'm enjoying it as much as any in the series, despite not being familiar with most of the authors.
Anton Chekhov, A NIGHT IN THE CEMETERY: And Other Stories. Chekhov is a favorite of mine. I've read a lot of his stories but do not remember most of these. (Since I borrowed this, I have bought a very cheap Kindle edition of his works that includes over 200 stories, the 15 plays, and his novel A SHOOTING PARTY, which was the book I was looking for in the first place!)
I also have the second Dresden Files collection by Jim Butcher (BRIEF CASES) on deck.
I'm reading THUNDERHEAD the sequel to SCYTHE (Arc of a Scythe series) by Neal Shusterman, a dystopian YA series.
Also Lorrie Moore's SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE: Essays, Criticism and Commentary (over 400 pages). I like Moore's short stories.
Also picked up the latest Linda Castillo book at the library yesterday, A GATHERING OF SECRETS. I like the Kate Burkholder series a lot.
Good morning, Jeff! I'm about halfway through Brief Cases, and I'm enjoying it. I have the Linda Castillo, but haven't read it yet. We just arrived last night, and we're staying tonight as well. We're going to do Biltmore, Asheville some tomorrow before heading to see my niece.
Lesa, We have tickets to go in September! I cannot wait to see what you think of the exhibit.
We were gone over the weekend to California to visit family so not much reading time.
I finished SPOOK IN THE STACKS by Eva Gates. I was a little disappointed in this one. Too much time spent meandering on Lucy's relationship with Connor and I didn't really like the ending.
Now I am reading THE BODY IN THE BALLROOM by R. J. Koreto. It is a mystery with Alice Roosevelt as the amateur sleuth. Her secret service bodyguard Joey St. Clair who was at San Juan Hill with her father is her partner in crime. I am finding it so enjoyable, I put the first one on reserve at our library.
Enjoy your visit to Chihuly!
And you are going to love love love it! I'm reading an ARC of "Winter Cottage" by Mary Ellen Taylor. So far – very good.
Enjoy your trip.
I only finished three books this week.
THE DISAPPEARED by C.J. Box which I enjoyed except for the ending since I find books that leave you hanging annoying.
KALEIDOSCOPE by Dorothy Gilman which I hadn’t read in years and decided to read-read.
And a nonfiction book MINDFUL EATING by Jan Chozen Bays. Some of it was a little bit too much zen but it talked about stopping before you eat and figuring out if you’re really hungry or want to eat for some other reason, eating slowly and really paying attention to what you’re eating.
I can’t believe it is Thursday already. Time flies by so fast these days.
I finished:
Sons of Sparta by Jeffrey Siger.
I am reading :
Desert Wives by Betty Webb
Bitter Bones ( book 3) by N C Lewis
Lesa, have fun.
Authors spend a lot of time for our pleasure.
Enjoy your book of choice today.
📕📗📘📙☕️
Lesa, Mike and I visited the Biltmore a few years back, and it was awesome–enjoy!
I looked for Kristen Lepionka's new book, What You Want to See, as I so enjoyed reading her first one recently, and I wasn't disappointed. PI Roxane Weary is such a complex character, trying to recover from her father's death and the reappearance of an old flame, and to keep her drinking at bay, while solving a very twisty case involving the death of her client's fiance, who is not at all what she first seems. Loved it.
In Kate Carlisle's latest Bibliophile Mystery, Buried in Books, book restoration expert Brooklyn unexpectedly runs into her two estranged college roommates at a library conference in San Francisco., One had stolen the other's boyfriend a decade ago, which broke up"the three musketeers," and either of them could be involved in counterfeiting rare books. When one turns up dead, Brooklyn has to help solve the murder in the week leading up to her own wedding, and there are a plethora of suspects. Brooklyn is a convincing protagonist, and the other characters are fun and interesting. What happens at the wedding is definitely "over the top," but it leads to a satisfying conclusion. Could Brooklyn and new husband Derek's next case occur on their honeymoon in Europe? Living close to SF, I enjoyed the local references, including a Dashiell Hammett "haunts" tour which I have taken.
In Clare Mackintosh's Let Me Lie, Anna, a new mom, struggles to live with the memory of the suicides of both of her parents, 7 months apart. When she receives an anonymous note implying that one or more of the deaths was not a suicide, she calls on Murray, a retired detective currently working for the police in a civilian administrative position, to investigate. Although Anna isn't the most sympathetic character, the thriller worked for me because the suspense builds slowly and steadily, with clever twists and very little graphic violence. Murray, deeply in love with his mentally ill wife, is the real hero of the book, and the one to root for.
I read issues 2 and 3 of Down and Out Magazine, because they feature stories by Bill Crider and Barry Lancet, respectively. Really good stuff. I enjoyed the nonfiction articles, too.
Foe by Iain Reid; a literary novel about a guy conscripted to go to space.
Coyote Waits by Tony HIllerman; one of the books while the series was at its peak.
The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams; a space opera romance.
The Adventures of Aaron Broom by AE Hotchner; a depression era young adult book.
Maclachlan Uncensored by g Wayne Tillman; Self published espionage novel with a Mary Sue protagonist.
The Moscow Offensive by Dale Brown; You either like these things as parodies, or you hate them.
Blasphemy by Douglas preston; A supercollider in New Mexico finds God.
I'm reading Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian, a book I first learned about here several years ago. On audio, I've just started L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton.
I'm finishing The Woman Left Behind by Linda Howard…I always enjoy her books; I'm in the middle of Laurie R. King's Island of the Mad and
Robyn Carr's Family Gathering. I'm just starting Murder at the Mansion by Sheila Connolly.
I read about the Biltmore Estate. Fascinating. I just started Jacqueline Winspear's To Die But Once. I love the Maisie Dobbs series.
I am reading Buried in Books by Kate Carlisle and listening to The Word is Murder (audio in the car) by Anthony Horowitz
I'm late!
Reading:
1. Short & Skinny by Mark Tatulli Graphic novel-great sense of humor
2. Lighting the Fires of Freedom, African Anericab Women in the Civil Rights Movemennt by Janet Dewart Bell. Hard to put this book down.
3. Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart by Mimi Swartz