What Are We Currently Reading?

[grommit2]

I had enough of serious books (Lessig's Republic, Lost) about money in politics.  Gads...insightful, but depressing. 
So I switched to Spencer Quinn's Of Mutts and Men.  Private Eye Bernie teams with his canine partner Chet.  Most of the story is told through the insightful and humorous thoughts of Chet.  Much better!

[peacheslatour]

I'm not sure where to put this but did we ever reach any kind of consensus on Where The Crawdads Sing?

[BlackberryJam]

50 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm not sure where to put this but did we ever reach any kind of consensus on Where The Crawdads Sing?

Manic Pixie Swamp Girl, Magical Negro, and a few other tropes all thrown together to make a ....semi okay book but nothing special. 

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, BlackberryJam said:

Manic Pixie Swamp Girl, Magical Negro, and a few other tropes all thrown together to make a ....semi okay book but nothing special. 

That's what I thought. Someone on Reddit was going on about it like it the second coming of LOTR.

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, grommit2 said:

So I switched to Spencer Quinn's Of Mutts and Men.  Private Eye Bernie teams with his canine partner Chet.  Most of the story is told through the insightful and humorous thoughts of Chet.  Much better!

That sounds awesome! Adding it to my list.

ETA: Just found out it's a series. YAY

Edited January 28, 2021 by Mabinogia

[Browncoat]

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm not sure where to put this but did we ever reach any kind of consensus on Where The Crawdads Sing?

I liked it a lot, but that might have been primarily because of all the nature stuff.

[babyhouseman]

19 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I liked it a lot, but that might have been primarily because of all the nature stuff.

The story was OK, but the geography of NC is terrible. The mountains are not close to the coast. With the internet, how hard can it be to research?

[Browncoat]

17 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

The story was OK, but the geography of NC is terrible. The mountains are not close to the coast. With the internet, how hard can it be to research?

That is true.  Once upon a time, I lived in Raleigh, and that geography did bug me, but I still liked the nature part of the book.

[Browncoat]

I started re-reading The Hate U Give, and I feel like there's another book between it and Concrete Rose.  Maybe from Lisa's point of view, since the others are from Starr's and Maverick's.  

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I started re-reading The Hate U Give, and I feel like there's another book between it and Concrete Rose.  Maybe from Lisa's point of view, since the others are from Starr's and Maverick's.  

Ooh yeah, I’d love that. Somebody asked Angie Thomas about it on Twitter and she didn’t say no!🙏🏻

[isalicat]

Just finished The Murder Hole by Lillian Stewart Carl, second in a series of delightful murder mysteries set in Scotland with a very slow burning romance between our heroine, who is a Texan moved to Edinburgh, and a hunky Scottish detective. If you like Scots history and murder mysteries (not especially gruesome by the standards of most of what I read - think Jo Nesbo), you will like this book. I already acquired the next one in the series but I'm back to reading all the Ian Rankin Rebus novels in order before taking that up (on the eighth one - Let It Bleed - now).

[Minneapple]

On 1/24/2021 at 10:18 AM, Spartan Girl said:

For everyone that loved Circe, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes just came out. I’m reading it and just loving it!!!

Beyond happy that there will be more feminist Greek mythology retellings coming out this year!

Finished this last night and I liked it a lot! I love Penelope's letters to her husband. She's got a great dry wit, all, "really, Odysseus?"

[grommit2]

Advice, please.
I really, really liked Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, and Nightingale.  Two exceptional stories, featuring strong women in strong stories.
Hannah features women in strong roles, but both Alone and Nightingale presented so much more in the story.
Winter Garden, to me, was a weaker story, and more focused on women's issues.  (If that makes sense).
Now I've started Hannah's  Firefly Lane, and I'm concerned that this is going to be less of a strong story and more of ...uhh...a story that appeals mostly to women.  Is there a strong story here?
Am I right?   

[BlackberryJam]

3 hours ago, grommit2 said:

Advice, please.
I really, really liked Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, and Nightingale.  Two exceptional stories, featuring strong women in strong stories.
Hannah features women in strong roles, but both Alone and Nightingale presented so much more in the story.
Winter Garden, to me, was a weaker story, and more focused on women's issues.  (If that makes sense).
Now I've started Hannah's  Firefly Lane, and I'm concerned that this is going to be less of a strong story and more of ...uhh...a story that appeals mostly to women.  Is there a strong story here?
Am I right?   

Stories that appeal mostly to women are usually very strong stories. 

[Luckylyn]

I started How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole which is part of her latest series called Runaway Royals.  I am excited to start a new series with Cole.  I really have enjoyed her romance novels.  

[partofme]

On 2/4/2021 at 11:51 AM, grommit2 said:

Now I've started Hannah's  Firefly Lane, and I'm concerned that this is going to be less of a strong story and more of ...uhh...a story that appeals mostly to women.  Is there a strong story here?
Am I right?   

I’m not quite sure what you mean by this.   I’m a girl and this book did didn’t appeal to me, I quit reading it about 60 pages in. It was the only Hannah book I had ever tried to read and based on it decided her other books weren’t for me.

Just now, partofme said:

I’m not quite sure what you mean by this.   I’m a girl and this book didn’t appeal to me, I quit reading it about 60 pages in. It was the only Hannah book I had ever tried to read and based on it decided her other books weren’t for me.

 

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I started How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole which is part of her latest series called Runaway Royals.  I am excited to start a new series with Cole.  I really have enjoyed her romance novels.  

Oh, I think you will enjoy these.  Her Reluctant Royals and Runaway Royals series are great fun.

 

On 2/4/2021 at 11:51 AM, grommit2 said:

Advice, please.
I really, really liked Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, and Nightingale.  Two exceptional stories, featuring strong women in strong stories.
Hannah features women in strong roles, but both Alone and Nightingale presented so much more in the story.
Winter Garden, to me, was a weaker story, and more focused on women's issues.  (If that makes sense).
Now I've started Hannah's  Firefly Lane, and I'm concerned that this is going to be less of a strong story and more of ...uhh...a story that appeals mostly to women.  Is there a strong story here?
Am I right?   

Kristin Hannah is basically an author whose books fall within the women's fiction sub-genre.  Regardless of the surrounding plot or what gravitas or literary swirls she adds, they are still at the core women's fiction.  The genre itself is usually characterized by an exploration of themes that are designed to appeal, relate and marketed specifically to women.  So at the end of the day I think it is just going to come down to a matter of personal taste when it comes to which books will appeal if you are not really a women's fic  target audience. 

Now, for me personally... she is one of those authors I have tried to read several times and couldn't get into.  I just don't like her voice.  My exposure to Firefly Lane has mostly been related to the reviews I have read based on the Netflix movie and from all it sounds like it seems like a predictable plot sundae topped with cliche cherries.  But I haven't read the book so ... grains...salt.

[tres bien]

Re: Kristen Hannah.  I was not a fan iof The Nightingale so I have no interest in any of her other books. 

I'm just finishing Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler.  This is a short (178 pages) book that's a decent story although a bit shallow but I like it.

[Minneapple]

Unchosen by Katharyn Blair. YA fantasy, if you like that genre (and I do). I love heroines who create their own agency, take matters into their own hands without being predestined or princesses or heirs of some sort. The mythology created in the book was honestly a little confusing, but it was kind of like zombie pirates so that was fun. Plus good twists and romance. Highly enjoyable and fun read.

[dubbel zout]

One of Matthew Dunn's Ben Sign mysteries, The Kill House. It seems to have been self-published, and so the copyediting is pretty bad. (I'm a copy editor, so I notice these things.) It's one of those books where the setup is 100 pages and the denouement is two. I don't know if this series was written before or after his Spycatcher novels, but this title, at least, definitely suffers in comparison.

[lasu]

On 1/29/2021 at 2:35 PM, babyhouseman said:

The story was OK, but the geography of NC is terrible. The mountains are not close to the coast. With the internet, how hard can it be to research?

Infuriating.  I nearly lost my mind trying to deal with people just taking a wee little trip from OBX to Asheville!!  

[Spartan Girl]

Started Yelllow Wife by Sadeqa Taylor. It's pretty good so far.

[Mindthinkr]

16 hours ago, lasu said:

Infuriating.  I nearly lost my mind trying to deal with people just taking a wee little trip from OBX to Asheville!!  

That is an all day haul, not a wee trip. 
(8-10 hours depending on how you drive and route) 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Mindthinkr

[lasu]

11 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

That is an all day haul, not a wee trip. 
(8-10 hours depending on how you drive and route) 

By TODAY'S standards!  I can't even imagine how long it took place before 1-40 was in place.  You would have to have something seriously wrong in your head to drive from OBX to the Western Auto in Asheville to buy your child a bike.  Every single solitary city in North Carolina is closer than Asheville!  It is barely farther to drive to ATLANTA from OBX.  

I'm sorry, I know I'm a basket case about this, but it's so freakin' stupid.  The author did not grow up in NC; she only visited OBX and Asheville, so that's what she used.  But just look at a map!!  

Also, "Where the crawdads sing" isn't a saying.  It's just not.

[proserpina65]

On ‎02‎/‎04‎/‎2021 at 3:04 PM, BlackberryJam said:

Stories that appeal mostly to women are usually very strong stories. 

Eh, it varies just as much as those which appeal mostly to men.  And I've found that a lot of books aimed at a female audience (which isn't necessarily the same thing as appealing to women) have weak stories.  Some writers can create strong, compelling stories, and some can't, and it really doesn't matter who the intended audience is.

 

 

[dubbel zout]

I'm on book six of the Chronicles of St. Mary's, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, and I'm enjoying it as much as the previous titles. Jodi Taylor does a great job of keeping the story moving forward, and I don't feel like she's repeating herself. That's kind of amazing given the length of the series (12 so far).

[Luckylyn]

I started The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss.  I am looking forward to learning about Alexandre Dumas’ father who lead an interesting life that inspired his son and how he influenced Dumas’ writing.

edited to add:  I had no clue that Alexandre Dumas grandmother was a slave and that he was 1/4 black.   His pursuit of writing was criticized because of his heritage.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Luckylyn

[Haleth]

14 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I started The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss.  I am looking forward to learning about Alexandre Dumas’ father who lead an interesting life that inspired his son and how he influenced Dumas’ writing.

That sounds interesting.

I just finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwab.  It's about a young woman who is cursed by a forest god/demon to spend the rest of her life being forgotten by anyone as soon as she is out of sight, and her life will only end when she surrenders her soul to him.  At first I found it incredibly sad, she spends 300 years alone, scraping out an existence, unable to connect to another person; then things start to happen that change everything.  I was not happy with how it was ending, until the final page where there is a little twist that gives the reader hope.  Good book.

[Madding crowd]

Just finished Girl A by Abigail Dean. It was very well written and I finished it in a day. My only criticism is that it is clearly a fictionalized account of the Turpin family ( children chained and starved, matching shirts for outings) and the British author doesn’t even mention them in a epilogue. Also triggering content for some readers.

[Rushmoras]

Still reading Dracula. I think a couple of chapters left, but good god, I don't like the book at all. At first, it was interesting, but it very quickly became a snooze fest. Dracula is not even a titular character in the book, as the name would imply, he is neither a secondary character or tertiary character. He is actually barely even a background character. His most notable role in the book was creeping out Jonathan in the Transylvanian castle and marking Mina as his own towards the end (almost the end) of the book (and I presume another notable feet of his will be dying in the end, as well). And... for a vampire... he's very limited at what he can do... shiiiiiiiiit I'm surprised that he even managed to sire someone with all the handicaps that he is given in the book. Most funny thing to me was reading about his origins: basically, his IQ was so wast that he learnt how to surpass death. I mean, that's what I got from Van Helsing's monologue in the book.

5/10. Hope that the movie (I know I seen it on TV many many years ago, but all I remember was Gary Oldman's John Lennon's style glasses lol) is more entertaining.

Didn't know whether I should put spoilers or not... I mean, it's a classic literature... and is (or at least I presume) in most of high-schools curriculum's in one form or the other.

[dubbel zout]

22 minutes ago, Rushmoras said:

Hope that the movie (I know I seen it on TV many many years ago, but all I remember was Gary Oldman's John Lennon's style glasses lol) is more entertaining.

It's gorgeous to look at and has some tremendously campy moments. My favorite is

a jump cut from someone (Dracula?) about to slice someone to Anthony Hopkins's character about to slice a roast. Everyone in the theater I was in screamed, then burst out laughing. It was great.

[scarynikki12]

1 hour ago, Rushmoras said:

At first, it was interesting, but it very quickly became a snooze fest. Dracula is not even a titular character in the book, as the name would imply, he is neither a secondary character or tertiary character. He is actually barely even a background character. His most notable role in the book was creeping out Jonathan in the Transylvanian castle and marking Mina as his own towards the end (almost the end) of the book (and I presume another notable feet of his will be dying in the end, as well).

I don't know if it will make reading it easier but the book is one big metaphor for British xenophobia and their fear that immigrants will bring disease (vampirism) to their shores and infect them. The context helped me get through the poor writing when I read it.

My thing about Dracula is that I hate the book and think it's an insult to include it on the list of legitimately good/great gothic and vampire stories. Vlad Tepes was a fascinating individual and I've enjoyed the work that others have done with the Dracula mythos but hard pass on Stoker's book.

[Ailianna]

Alternately, it's one of my favorite vampire books. He shouldn't be all powerful, and he's got a lot of powers after all. Changing shape, misting, flying, controlling minds. I don't like the ones that deify vampires. I'm addition to the commentary about immigration (surely still relevant), it's also about women's sexuality and who controls it, as seen through the wives and Mina, but also in how Lucy is treated. 

[DearEvette]

 I also liked Dracula.  Really enjoyed it.  It was a surprise to me when I first read it because I thought it was, well, about Dracula.  I first it read as part of a course about women in fiction.  And it was apropos because the book was about Mina's relentless pursuit of him and her efforts and cutting off all his avenues of power and finally putting him down.

[Growsonwalls]

Well ... I'm currently reading the book my dad just self-published on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08W7SNNF6?pf_rd_r=3JNG9GWN7R3DWJX6FHHE&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=d01abda7-1375-41af-853a-113873d5310b&pd_rd_w=WMjHm&pd_rd_wg=A0QDH&ref_=pd_gw_unk

Even though my knowledge of blackjack is almost nothing and I have no clue what he's talking about with his system of card-counting I'm  just supporting it because it's his book.

[Crs97]

I just finished Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.  Wonderful, heartbreaking, conning of age story that reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird in so many good ways.

[Anduin]

The Source, by James A Michener. It's the story of a fictional archeological site in Israel. There's a framing story, then it goes into the stories of the people whose objects were dug up, interspersed by more frame. It probably closes with a frame too. My grandfather gave me a copy sometime in the 90s, when I was on holiday over there. I didn't finish it at the time, but I unearthed another copy to have another crack at it.

For several years, one of my writing dreams has been something like this crossed with Lord of the Rings. Telling a fantasy story through the artifacts left behind, possibly through the memories of an immortal being who's still hanging around. Knowing LOTR as well as I do, I thought I should look at the other half.

However, wow. It was published in 1964, and feels like it. In its current form, it would never be published these days. There's some sexism in the frame, and while I think Michener tries to be even-handed about religion, it still feels... off, somehow. Not actually religionism, if I can make up a word, but enough to make me cringe. And that's coming from someone who gives all religion a skeptical eye. For that matter, I'm only up to the second past story. The protagonist is deeply unlikable. I have trouble enjoying stories with unlikable protagonists. I hope further ones are better.

Also, the opening frame is 70 pages long. It really didn't need to be. It opens with the frame protagonist on a ship, not even having reached Israel yet. Then delves into where to put the first trenches, trouble with a bullshit artist/journalist. Did he really have to be Australian? 😞 And keeping the rich benefactor happy. Plus a love triangle. Oh joy.

But what's interesting. The original price tag is on the back. In 1993, it went for 12.95 Aussie dollars. These days, I'd guess it would be $22.95. In, bloody hell 18 years, inflation has driven book prices $10 higher. A dollar every two years or so. Yes, that tracks with other books I've bought over the years.

[Haleth]

I read The Source decades ago and loved it, but it doesn't surprise me that it may be problematic these days.  I reread Hawaii about 10 years ago and felt the same way.  Both are still great books though, worth reading.

[Anduin]

49 minutes ago, Haleth said:

I read The Source decades ago and loved it, but it doesn't surprise me that it may be problematic these days.  I reread Hawaii about 10 years ago and felt the same way.  Both are still great books though, worth reading.

Thanks. I'll stick with it for now, but no promises.

[Rushmoras]

I wouldn't say that "Dracula" was about Mina's relentless pursuit to kill a vampire. She went along out of necessity (he marked her), and others persuaded her to (just because she might live long and happy life, if Dracula is alive, in the end, she will become like him). Plus, Mina was just one of other three main characters in the book. I guess, it's one way to look at it. I look at it for what it is - a book about trials and tribulations of people that got themselves in to a situation they can't get out from.

I mean, I understand how people might have liked it in XIX century, but in this day and age it's very much dated (at least to me). And will be shelved to the section of books I will never read again.

P.S. True, Vladdy boy in the book can turn to mist, bat and mesmerize people, but... all you have to do is put a garland of garlic around your neck, and you are a ok. The only reason why they were not a ok, was because the plot required for the main characters to act idiotic even with all of what has happened around them. Hell, even when Van Helsing told everyone what a vampire can do, Mina decided to be a Skyrim guard and go: "Huh, must have been the wind" 😄

Edited February 14, 2021 by Rushmoras

[grommit2]

OK.  Finished reading Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah.
I was concerned that it might not have the overriding story line, as with The Great Alone and Nightingale.
But it turned out to be a compelling story.  Emotional, as with all Hannah novels.  
Worth the time. 

[peacheslatour]

8 hours ago, Haleth said:

I read The Source decades ago and loved it, but it doesn't surprise me that it may be problematic these days.  I reread Hawaii about 10 years ago and felt the same way.  Both are still great books though, worth reading.

I always loved Michner's books but he seemed to have a real problem with endings.

Edited February 14, 2021 by peacheslatour

[Spartan Girl]

Finished The Push by Ashley Audrain, and yeah, another Bad Seed story, but I thought it was interesting how even though Blythe tries to warn everybody about Violet and no one listens, it also implies that she’s complicit not only for her maternal failings but also because

she never told anyone that Violet pushed that kid off the playground structure

[grommit2]

So, I wandered into the bookstore and found The Stand by Stephen King.
For some reason, I avoided his novels, but liked his movies: (Carrie, Misery: "I'm you're biggest fan", Dolores Claiborne). 
This is the 1,149 page version of The Stand. 
Ooh, I'm so smart. ONLY 1,000+ pages.
And it is about a pandemic.  How unique!

[dubbel zout]

A Woman of No Importance, about VIrgina Hall, one of the most successful SOE agents of WWII. Among other successes, she built resistance networks in France and came up with a plot that allowed 12 captured agents to successfully escape from a notorious French prison. 

Lady had a WOODEN FOOT and fled to Spain across the Pyrenees in winter. Her courage, both physical and moral, was unreal. She deservedly won the Distinguished Service Cross (the US's second highest military award; only the Medal of Honor outranks it), the French Croix de Guerre with palm, and a CBE from the Brits.

She's just one of the amazing women who served in the SOE/OSS during WWII who are finally getting their due.

[Crs97]

Just finished Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn.  Nothing profound; just an enjoyable read on a cold day.  I enjoyed the characters and their growing relationship.

[dubbel zout]

I really liked that book, too. 

[isalicat]

I just finished The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz, which is the third in a series of novels featuring Lisbeth Salander (i.e. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), basically continuing the Stieg Larsson Millennium Series. I have not read the previous two Lagercrantz books but was a big fan of the original Larsson series so when the paperback sort of fell in my lap I thought why not?

And it was very good! Definitely complex and in the spirit of the original series. I recommend it and won't say anything more about the plot because it would all be spoilers.

[Rushmoras]

4 hours ago, isalicat said:

I just finished The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz, which is the third in a series of novels featuring Lisbeth Salander (i.e. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), basically continuing the Stieg Larsson Millennium Series. I have not read the previous two Lagercrantz books but was a big fan of the original Larsson series so when the paperback sort of fell in my lap I thought why not?

And it was very good! Definitely complex and in the spirit of the original series. I recommend it and won't say anything more about the plot because it would all be spoilers.

There's more than one book continuing the story? What the hell Lithuanian translators, are you sleeping?!

[isalicat]

10 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

14 hours ago, isalicat said:

I just finished The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz, which is the third in a series of novels featuring Lisbeth Salander (i.e. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), basically continuing the Stieg Larsson Millennium Series. I have not read the previous two Lagercrantz books but was a big fan of the original Larsson series so when the paperback sort of fell in my lap I thought why not?

And it was very good! Definitely complex and in the spirit of the original series. I recommend it and won't say anything more about the plot because it would all be spoilers.

There's more than one book continuing the story? What the hell Lithuanian translators, are you sleeping?!

I may be missing something significant here, but Lagercrantz writes in Swedish (as did Stieg Larsson) so these three continuation books are all translated from Swedish into English. Stop me if I'm completely missing your point....