Honestly? I just collapsed after reading the last three books for yesterday’s deadline for a journal. That’s okay, though. I’ve discovered some new authors and books that I would have never read, and you’ll read all about them in the next couple months.
Since I can’t really talk much about them, I will mention one series. The sixth book in Tina Whittle’s Tai Randolph mystery series, Necessary Ends, will be out in April. It’s called a Tai Randolph mystery, but these mysteries all feature Tai, who inherits a Confederate-themed gun shop in Atlanta, and Trey Seaver, an ex-cop who became an agent for a security company after a car accident left him cognitively and emotionally damaged. Actually, it’s a series that features two damaged people. Very different, interesting characters.
So, that’s what I’ve been up to. What have you been reading in the last week? I’ll be around to see your suggestions today. I’d love to know what books or audio books have caught your attention.
I have not had much time to read this week. I finished Dreaming in Chocolate by Susan Bishop Crispell. It was good but I didn't think as good as books by Sarah Addison Allen.
Now I am reading The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard. Her bio says she lives in Columbus like me.
Good to know about Dreaming in Chocolate, Sharon. I have a copy somewhere in a TBR pile. Hope you have some reading time this week!
I’ve read an odd mix of books this week.
A children’s book that I won on Goodreads, VAMPIRES AT EASTER by RF Kristi was cute. I hadn’t read the earlier books in the series but a group of cats and dogs solve mysteries.
A YA book that I picked up on the free shelf at the library, EIGHT DAYS ON PLANET EARTH is about a teen boy who finds a girl in the field next to his farm who says she’s an alien and is waiting for a ride back to her planet.
ENCHANTED THE WEDDING STORY by Barbara Bretton is the 5th book in her Sugar Maple paranormal romance series. I enjoyed it but It was kind of short. I wish she’d combined it with the next book which is supposed to come out in June.
CLASS REUNIONS ARE MURDER by Libby Klein which I wound up enjoying even though I didn’t think I would.
And PLAIN MISSING, an Amish mystery by Emma Miller.
Just finished The Woman in the Window – great mystery! Loved it.
Sandy,
You do have quite a bit of variety there! It keeps reading from becoming boring.
Terrific, Donna. I hadn't really heard anything from readers about The Woman in the Window, only reviews.
Lesa, I took your suggestion and called my library. I told the lady I was talking to my reasons for not liking RBDIGITAL. I asked her if she thought if enough people complained would they go back to Overdrive. She said a lot of people were complaining and she expected more. It is a money issue and the decision came from the state library. My son was pleased either so he called. After he talked to someone he said he felt like it wouldn’t change back. They started off with only seven days to keep a book. You could renew it. That was a joke. I tried it and couldn’t renew it because it was on hold for someone else. I am waiting again for the book. Also waiting for the same book at the library.They have now changed it. Can keep the book for fourteen days and try to renew it. That is a improvement.
I finished reading:
Pecan Flan Murder Plan (book 5) by Nancy McGovern
The Honeymoon Cottage (book1) by Barbara Cool Lee
Under the Broadwalk (book2) by Barbara Cool Lee
I am reading:
Lighthouse Cottage (book 3) by Barbara Cool Lee
Too Late to Die by Bill Crider
True Blue by David Baldacci
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. ( I will finish it someday)
Enjoy your week with time for reading.
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I have read some terrific books lately! Several ARCs from NetGalley. All excellent!
SUNBURN by Laura Lippman
MIDNIGHT RIOT by Ben Aaronovitch
WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT by Sandra Block (ARC )
NOT THAT I COULD TELL by Jessica Strawser (ARC)
THE HIGH TIDE CLUB by Mary Kay Andrews (ARC)
THE WESTERN STAR by Craig Johnson
MY PARIS DREAM by Kate Betts
I'm still continuing with non fiction: reading THE STORY OF CLASSIC CRIME IN 100 BOOKS by Martin Edwards. Also reading the fascinating THE UNEXPECTED PRESIDENT: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHESTER A. ARTHUR by Scott S. Greenberger. I knew little about Arthur other than that he was from New York and replaced Garfield after he was assassinated, but I've been wanting to read more about the post-Civil War period.
Also reading CRASHED, the first Junior Bender book by Timothy Hallinan. Bender is a burglar by trade, and yes, he's the series hero.
Lastly is Victor L. Whitechurch's 28 THRILLING STORIES OF THE RAILWAY (expanded from the original collection), originally published in 1912. The hero is the eccentric Thorpe Hazell.
I should be finishing up Color Me Murder by Krista Davis today, which I am completely enjoying. Next up is Claws for Concern by Miranda James.
I read:
Aikido Au revoir by Daniel Linden: Parker wanders around France occasionally flipping people.
Fantastic 4N1 by David Noe: a collection of stories about PD characters. Too campy for me.
The Thousand Dollar Man by JT Sawyer: A former elite soldier takes on missions for $1000 a pop. This one takes into Mexico to find a missing girl. He doesn't like what he finds.
The Bloody Spur by Mickey Spillane and MAC: Third entry in the Caleb York series is once again great stuff. I'm surprised the Hallmark Movie Channel hasn't called.
The Inside Ring by Mike Lawson: A fixer tries to find out about a presidential assassination attempt. I guess I'm not in the mood for Washington novels lately.
Charlotte, You and your son may be frustrated, but at least you told the library. They will report back to the state library. I do know OverDrive isn't cheap, and I haven't compared it to RBDigital as to cost. But, maybe, with enough libraries saying their customers are complaining, the state library might listen. It won't be immediate. I'm sorry. Good luck.
I'll be interested to see if you like the Bill Crider book.
Kaye, That's quite a list with some good titles & authors on it! I'm glad you've read so many good books.
Jeff, Somewhere in a TBR pile is crashed. I'll get to it eventually!
Glen, I don't blame you one bit for not being in the mood for Washington novels.
Love and Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea is a low-key cozy where the mystery takes a back seat to the atmospheric French setting and a myriad of characters. More for Francophiles, I think, than mystery enthusiasts.
Into the Black Nowhere is the second of Meg Gardiner's UNSUB thrillers. A young FBI agent with a troubled past tries to pin down a serial killer as a succession of blonde women are found dead, wearing white nighties. The protagonist is a difficult person to like, in my opinion. The serial killer is known early in the book and we see him being analyzed and pursued. Fast reading and quite a bit of suspense.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Treacherous Curse, third in Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series. In the late 1880s, Veronica is the estranged daughter of the Prince of Wales and, along with rakish friend (or more?) Stoker, a world-traveling adventurer and investigator. I admire Raybourn's ability to evoke the time and place and to create characters that are witty, sardonic, and living to the fullest.
Lesa, so far what I have read of Bill Crider ‘s book I have enjoyed.. Had to push it aside because of a book from RBdigital that has limited days to read. Then I got hooked on a few cozy’s, you know how that goes. I will get back to Bill Crider book.
Miss his comments here.
About the RBdigital again. One of the big problems that my son had was he is a pilot and he puts his books on his Kindle when he is off on trips. RBdigital will not let you put books on a Kindle.
I'll agree that The Woman in the Window was good. Loved the black and white movie references and Hitchcock, of course. That being said, I'm a bit burned out on the psycho-thrillers. I've just finished Telling Tales – Vera Stanhope #2 and am listening to Hidden Depths – Vera #3. Very good. Also just finished Ann Hood's The Book That Matters Most. Lovely. And very thought provoking about what book matters most to each of us? Have now started Siobhan Fallon's The Confusion of Languages – about a military wife living in Jordan with her husband (the author has done the same in real life). Whew!
Margie, I read the first and third on your list. Totally agree with you on both of them. A Treacherous Curse was just the perfect read – fun, witty, and I enjoy the relationship between the two characters.
Ouch, Charlotte. It's one thing when you don't like the selection, or even the loan period, but when you lose the ability to download materials to your devices, that hurts. I'm sorry for both you and your son.
Kay, I have to admit psycho-thrillers are not my thing at all. Now, Vera Stanhope, on the other hand. I'm behind, but I enjoy those books.
I've been working my way through quite a few books this week. I've been finishing Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, working my way through Wormwood by D.H. Nevins, and I started Every Day by David Levithan. I hope you have a good reading week.
I just finished Kathryn Hughes’ The Letter. I had a hard time putting it down. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was somewhat predictable, but I was compelled to keep reading to see how things turned out. The ending was disappointing. The author abruptly took us forward several decades and let the reader fill in the blanks.
Today I picked up Sleeping in the Ground by Peter Robinson from the library.