What Are We Currently Reading?

[Rushmoras]

So, completed today James Clavell's Tai-Pan: Book One. It ended on a weird BDSM-esque-domestic-violence-esque note, which, yeah...

Spoiler

So, Dirk Struan's concubine Mei-Mei wanted to surprise him with, um, some European fashion for the beauty pageant. But, when Dirk saw her wearing European clothes, he was shocked, because he did not think that they suit her at all. So, Mei-Mei became hysterical, thinking that she lost "face", and, uh, wanted to kill herself. Dirk, kinda talked her out of it, and left the servants to take care of her. So, in the morning, he comes back to her, and Mei-Mei is begging Dirk to sell her, because she lost "face" and "shamed" him, and again is becoming hysterical.

So, Dirk, from being afraid that she might again try hurting herself, decides to act "Chinese", and, uh, administers some corporal punishment on her buttocks in order for her to gain "face" again...

Yeah... I mean, it is one way to end your first volume...

[Spartan Girl]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

 

I've started reading James, and was about to quit* and throw it across the room at Chapter 9, when they were "baling water" out of the canoe -- repeatedly.  I don't believe it was a deliberate error, and I can't believe that Mr. Everett doesn't know the difference between baling and bailing. so I'm mad at his editors and proofreaders.  Such an easy error to fix!  

 

I didn’t catch that, but be seen plenty of typos in published books before.

[EtheltoTillie]

23 hours ago, Mona Lisa said:

I just got From Sarah to Sydney from the library.  It's a biography of Sydney Taylor, best known as the author of the All in the Family books.  So far it's been interesting but pretty depressing.

I loved those books. I’m going to get this bio posthaste!  

[EtheltoTillie]

Success!  Just downloaded from the library. 

[Ohiopirate02]

On 4/18/2024 at 2:25 PM, blackwing said:

Thanks for posting this!  I am looking forward to it.  I hope they don't screw it up.  I remember so looking forward to "Three Pines" and the adaptation of the book series was fairly abysmal.

I just finished reading C.J. Sansom's Tombland.  I enjoyed it overall, even if I thought it was a bit too long.  While I appreciate historical detail, I do feel like some of the details about Kett's Rebellion could have been shortened.

I know that Sansom has had some health issues.  But on the internet there is a description of an upcoming book 8, Ratcliff, and a small summary.  I can't find any further information or whether this book is still in progress or if his health issues have precluded it.

 

I also just finished Peril at the Exposition by Nev March.  This is book 2 in a series that started with "Murder in Old Bombay".  This time, the couple Jim and Diana have gotten married and moved to America.  They were in Boston when Jim (who is working as a spy/operative/detective or something) gets sent to Chicago to investigate the disappearance of another agent and the death of a Pinkerton detective.  The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition is occuring there.  Jim disappears and Diana goes to find him.

I absolutely hated the first book in this series.  HATED.  It was too much romance and too little mystery.  This book wasn't quite so hateable, but I found it particularly boring.  For a book with its setting as the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, I was amazed at how little of the fair was incorporated.  Characters visit briefly and there are throwaway descriptions, but that's about it.

I really thought this book was going to be a mystery set during the World's Fair and that we would get lots of descriptions of the various booths and exhibits.  Instead, the book seemed to mainly be about an anarchist plot involving bombs that just happened to have the fair in the background.  Really disappointing.  The book was also way too long and could have used an editor.  

The third book in this series is set on a cruise ship.  I really want to read it and like it but given the track record of this author, I am prepared to be disappointed.

It's James Patterson, I doubt he had anything to do with this book besides put his name on it and take a large percentage of the actual author's profits.  I'm kind of over James Patterson and his claim that he is the "World's Most Popular Storyteller" when he doesn't write 95% of the books that he takes credit for.  The co-author writes the entire book and yet he gets top billing.

Why pretend?  Why can't he have his own pubishing house where the authors publish the books as the sole author but they are from "the James Patterson Publishing House".  Like a stamp of approval by him, like Oprah's Book Club or Reese's club or whatever.  It just kind of disgusts me how he takes credit for all these books that he doesn't write.

I do have to defend James here as a librarian.  Some of the titles with co-authors are part of on-going series where James did write the first few books.  If the books were to be published under the co-author's name only, then they would get shelved by that author's last name, and we would end up with a series split on multiple shelves across the fiction section.  It is easier for us and our patrons for all of the books to be in the James Patterson section.  I know the cataloging software my library uses does link books in a series on the public facing part, but not all software does this.  It would be hell for the library staff to have to keep a list of all the co-authors for each James Patterson series to help patrons find the next book.  

It isn't necessarily done because James Patterson is taking credit for books he didn't write, but for the ease of people finding the next book in a series.  There are a lot of dead authors who's series still continue that are published under the dead author's name for the same reason.  Stuart Woods, Vince Flynn, Clive Cussler, Robert B. Parker, Robert Jordan, J.R.R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, etc.  

[BlackberryJam]

Books I’ve read lately:

What Happened to Nina? By Dervia McTiernan. I have some feelings about this, but I’m not sure I enjoyed it. A bit of a condemnation of wealth, the use of social media, and true crime obsessions laid over a boring murder.

Amina Akhtar books. Kismet. Not a cozy. Very weird. Multiple POVs, including the POV of a flock of ravens. So…weird. But in a good way. Enjoyed it and recommend. There is another, Almost Surely Dead, not a sequel, which really leans into the obsession with true crime, but I didn’t feel like the ending resolved that. 

Family Reservations by Liz Palmer. An interesting book about family dynamics and horrible parenting. Three daughters of a super successful chef who have always been pitted against each other. There are a couple characters in the beginning that I wanted more of, and they just got dropped. This is one of those books where I can’t recall any male characters, which is kind of nice.

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather. I love this author. I guess this book is queer, feminist, historical, science fiction. Maybe? Main character is a midwife in training. Many women are giving birth to children with tails and other “deformities.” 

 

[Rushmoras]

I know that some months ago I wrote here that I will not be reading any more Lev Tolstoj War and Peace, but decided to upen-up Volume 2, and, I don't know, either because I found James Clavell's Tai-Pan to be not what I hoped it to be or maybe because so far Volume 2 is superior to Volume 1, but I like it. So, I read so far only 43 pages (or 6 chapters of the first parter of Volume 2): the Battle of Austerlitz is over, and the Russian nobles come back to Moscow.

Spoiler

One of those nobles are Nikolaj Rostov, and his family is happy to see him; they later-on throw a small shindig at an English Club, wherein they discuss why Russia lost the battle. And, during that small party, Pjer, who has been unhappily married to some Dutchess (IMO, he's gay the way he's being portrayed) decides to challenge to a duel a renowned duelist named Dolochov, whom he suspects of having an affair with his wife. Everyone is like: "What is he, an idiot?", but they go along with it thinking that when the day of the duel comes, Pjer will simply apologize for his outburst, but that does not happen. So, Pjer, I assume, has a death-wish, but as luck would have it, actually suceeds in wounding Dolochov. And everyone is like: "Woah, what the fuck". So, in the end of the chapter, Pjer's wife starts to fuck with his mind and annoy him to a point that Pjer looses his temper, shouts at her and forces her out of their home, and in the end they divorce, and Pjer goes back to Saint Petersburg...

That's what happened in the first 6 chapters lol.

[krankydoodle]

I just finished the latest Harbinder Kaur mystery by Elly Griffiths, The Last Word. I gave up on the first book in the series, though I can't remember why now, but have liked the three subsequent books. The mysteries can get a bit convoluted (or maybe it just feels that way because there are so many characters to keep track of), but I really like the recurring characters. Strangely, the main character doesn't get as much page time as I'd have expected, especially in this last one, so it's kind of fitting that my library's copy has "A Ruth Galloway mystery" (her other detective series) erroneously printed on the title page.

Edited April 29 by krankydoodle

[EtheltoTillie]

@Mona Lisa you are right. that Sydney Taylor book is depressing!  

[Hanahope]

I read John Grisham’s latest book The Exchange. I was very disappointed. He took the protagonists from the Firm, Mitch and Abby McDeere and did nothing with them.

Completely unnecessary first several chapters.  they have Mitch travel back to Kentucky to handle a death row case that is mooted when the prisoner is found dead.  killed or suicide?  who knows, who cares.  Mitch then takes a 'detour' to visit Lamar from The Firm.  they chit chat, Mitch leaves.  no purpose whatsoever.

The actual plot of the story was stupid, undeveloped and boring. It involved an associate of Mitch’s new firm who got kidnapped in Libya during Gaddaffi’s reign, and paying her ransom, and which for some strange reason the kidnappers wanted to use Abby to participate in the exchange.

Despite so many possibilities there were no twists at all. So many set ups I was sure would lead to a shocking revelation and nothing.

Mitch just happens to get very serious food poisoning and the associate doesn’t even get some mild nausea despite their sharing all food and drink in Libya and no one thinks that’s strange, possibly done on purpose to separate the associate???

And how did the terrorists know the associate would be without Mitch and their primary corporate/govt liaison (who "had to" stay with Mitch in the hospital) in order to kidnap her during the trip outside Tripoli? Just dumb luck?  Or was the corporate/govt liaison who seemed to know everything part of the plan?  who knows?  never considered.

the story ends coincidently in the Grand Caymans.  No thought of a revenge plot by the mob or Mitch’s former law firm? I thought for sure that was the whole reason for the early foreshadowing visit with Lamar.  but nope. nothing.  Then why involve Mitch and Abby (especially Abby) at all in the money exchange? 

And apparently the terrorists are completely unstoppable , they take out numerous trained soldiers, no one can track the people following Abby and Mitch, they have access to all sorts of tech.

The only drama is over who/what gov or company was contributing how much to the ransom pot . Snore … who cares.

And at then end the terrorists get away with $85million, the associate lives and yeah that’s it.

Worst Grisham book ever.

[Ohiopirate02]

18 hours ago, Hanahope said:

Worst Grisham book ever.

Worse than Sycamore Row?  I remember reading that one thinking there was zero need for the guy to be so extra and drag Jake into his mess.  

[EtheltoTillie]

On 5/2/2024 at 3:34 PM, Hanahope said:

I read John Grisham’s latest book The Exchange. I was very disappointed. He took the protagonists from the Firm, Mitch and Abby McDeere and did nothing with them.

Worst Grisham book ever.

Yup, absolutely awful.  I noped out right after the young woman was kidnapped.  How is this a Mitch McDeere story?  I do not need John Grisham writing international spy novels.

[isalicat]

For those of you, like me, that love a good mystery - I just finished the first in a series of three novels by the Icelandic author Lilja Sigurdardottir - this one is called Cold As Ice (the next one is Red as Blood and the last one is White as Snow). Incredibly well written and twisty tale of a young woman who pursues financial criminals as her career and has traveled back to her home country of Iceland to find her missing, estranged sister. This is not cozy (I've never found a Nordic mystery that is) but not terribly gruesome and exceptionally engrossing.

[blackwing]

I read A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson.  This book is part mystery, part survival story, about a wildlife biologist who take a job to study wolverines in a Montana wildlife sanctuary.  Sometimes leaves her a note on her car saying she isn't welcome, someone tries to run her off the road, she sees a strange injured man on her remote animal camera who then disappears.  On top of that, the sheriff doesn't seem to believe her.  She soon realises that she may have stumbled into something that she wasn't meant to see, and now those in charge seem to be intent on killing her.

This was a fantastic book.  Fast paced and suspenseful.  The author definitely did her research because the survival scenes and the resourcefulness of the main character were well done.  I liked the depictions of the Montana scenery and the wildlife.

[Hanahope]

On 5/3/2024 at 10:13 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

Worse than Sycamore Row?  I remember reading that one thinking there was zero need for the guy to be so extra and drag Jake into his mess. 

I agree that Sycamore Row wasn't a good book either, but i think the Exchange is worse.  

[Rushmoras]

Read through Part I of Volume 2 of Tolstoj's War and Peace.

Spoiler

The last chapters dealt with Nikolaj Rostov loosing 43 thousand rubbles to his ex-friend Dolochov, who in turn was angry at him, because Nikolaj's cousin rejected his advances and Dolochov lost face (after having recovered from the duel with Pjer). So, Rostov in the end crawls to his daddy for a small loan, and by the end of the chapter leaves for Poland, wherein the Russian army is waiting to take-on Napoleon for the second time...

 

[EtheltoTillie]

I just finished Long Island, by Colm Toibin, the sequel to his novel Brooklyn (which I enjoyed and I also enjoyed the movie).

This one is somewhat flawed.  Maybe needed more time to marinate.  It's not very long.  Spoilers ahead:

It is widely revealed that the trigger of the plot is main character Eilis learning that her Italian husband, Tony, has an out of wedlock baby on the way, with the wife of a plumbing client.  It is 20 years after the events of Brooklyn.  I get no feeling of what the marriage was like over the 20 years. 

The novel should really be called Ireland, because that's where most of the action takes place.  Eilis is so pissed off with Tony and his meddling family she goes back to Ireland (with the excuse being her mother's 80th birthday).  Now she resumes her affair with Jim, the guy she left behind 20 years ago.  Jim, meanwhile, had agreed to marry widowed Nancy.  (Nancy had been married to George.  They used to hang out with Jim and Eilis.)  Suddenly he wants to rekindle his old love but doesn't tell Nancy.

So Jim is two timing both women.  The ending is indeterminate!  All of the characters do some bad things. 

Edited May 13 by EtheltoTillie

[Spartan Girl]

Wow, that sounds really disappointing. Not gonna bother with that one.

[blackwing]

I'm always looking for books that are like "And Then There Were None".  Most of the ones I've read in recent years seem to fall into that unfortunate "women in jeop" category.  But I finally read one which was outstanding!

Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada.  From Goodreads:

Quote

The Crooked House sits on a snowbound cliff at the remote northern tip of Japan. A curious place to build a house, but even more curious is the house itself - a maze of sloping floors and strange staircases, full of bloodcurdling masks and uncanny dolls. When a guest is found murdered in seemingly impossible circumstances, the police are called. But they are unable to solve the puzzle, and more bizarre deaths follow.

Enter Kiyoshi Mitarai, the renowned sleuth. Surely if anyone can crack these cryptic murders it is him. But you have all the clues too - can you solve the mystery of the murders in The Crooked House first?

This has all the hallmarks of a classic Christie.  Remote house, a group of people who don't all know each other, an initial mysterious locked room death, then more deaths.

This book was very interesting and captured my attention.  I loved the concept of the crooked house with its sloping floors and weird rooms and strange staircases.  I liked the characters.

My complaint is that the detective doesn't arrive until about 2/3 of the way in, at which point the book strangely switches from a 3rd person perspective to a 1st person narrator (narrated by the detective's assistant).  I'm not sure if this is because of the English translation or if it was intended that way in the original Japanese language.

The biggest issue I had is that the book challenges the reader to solve the mystery by saying we had been provided with all of the clues.  Although I correctly deduced the killer(s), I have to say that the actual solution is preposterous.  There's absolutely no way anyone would be able to deduce exactly how the main crime was committed.

However, that aside, this was a really enjoyable book.  Shimada has another book which also has an English translation called "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders" which although not a locked room mystery, is said to be just as good as this book.  I also found a classic Japanese locked room mystery called "The Decagon House Murders" which is now on my TBR list.

[isalicat]

If anyone here should be in the mood for something truly very dark (and a bit violent, although not too gruesome), I just finished a novel from a few years ago by the well known Norwegian author Jo Nesbo (he writes the incredible Harry Hole series if you like super dark murder/mystery/psychological study novels) called The Kingdom. Its about a man with a very problematic brother, and the story kicks off when the brother returns from years away with a new wife and a development scheme to revitalize a tiny, dying rural village in Norway. Absolutely brilliant, but not about happy, shiny people at all!

[Spartan Girl]

Just started You Like It Darker. Stephen King really looked at his fans and said, "Challenge Accepted."

[sugarbaker design]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Just started You Like It Darker. Stephen King really looked at his fans and said, "Challenge Accepted."

I just finished Holly, I loved it and Holly.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm  in the middle of Holly.  I like the character.  I liked her in the Mr. Mercedes book number 1, where she was introduced.  I haven't read all the others.

 

Edited Thursday at 05:54 PM by EtheltoTillie

[blackwing]

I read Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.  The main character is an author who has written a series of mysteries.  In the author's books, the main character is based on and shares the same name as her ex-boyfriend.  The author is sent by her publicist on a book tour in the Amalfi Coast (where the latest book is set) and those accompanying her include the ex-boyfriend, another recent ex-boyfriend, her sister, and other authors.  The ex-boyfriend believes that someone is trying to kill him and asks her for help.  She doesn't believe him.  But then people start dying.

This book was a lot of fun.  It is told in the first person from the author's perspective, and there is a lot of meta stuff going on like breaking the fourth wall and hinting to readers about clues.  It's really funny and suspenseful at the same time.

I read Extinction by Douglas Preston (a solo effort, without his usual writing partner Lincoln Child).  A company has used genetic cloning techniques to bring back various ancient species to life, including the wooly mammoth and the giant ground sloth, in a process it calls "de-extinction".  These animals reside in the Erebus Resort located in a valley in the Colorado Rockies, where tourists pay for the opportunity to stay in a luxury resort and hire guides to take them on extended camping trips throughout the resort where they can observe these species in the natural habitat.  The scientists have removed the gene that causes aggression from these animals.  But two hikers on their honeymoon disappear overnight.  Their guide heard the sounds of their tent ripping and screaming.  What did this?  Weren't all the species supposed to be non-aggressive?

This was a fast-paced and suspenseful book.  Think Jurassic Park but with ancient species.  The twist of who was doing this which is revealed midway through the book caught me completely by surprise.

Some of the science doesn't make a lot of sense, but if I handwave over that, this was overall a very entertaining book.  It sounds like there could be more books in this series forthcoming.

 

Edited Friday at 02:08 PM by blackwing