What Are We Currently Reading?

[Anela]

I'm still reading the book I mentioned before, and have added a couple of books by Vonnegut, that I found at the library, plus The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Somebody just kill me now. I don’t know what possessed me to pick up to sort of reread Outlander again. Oh, wait. Because I just marathon watched the series and wanted to revisit what was true to the source material. BIG MISTAKE. Gabaldon’s writing is horrendous.

Edited April 10, 2022 by GHScorpiosRule

[Luckylyn]

I’m reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.  His writing reminds me of Joseph Heller.  The book is comedic in tone but parts of it can be grim to read about.   The book is massive and there’s a lot of characters.  The most recurring locations are a Tennis Academy and a halfway house for addicts.   Addiction of various kinds (drugs, sex, entertainment) is a constant throughout.  I am halfway through and very curious of how things will conclude.

[kathyk24]

49 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

I’m reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.  His writing reminds me of Joseph Heller.  The book is comedic in tone but parts of it can be grim to read about.   The book is massive and there’s a lot of characters.  The most recurring locations are a Tennis Academy and a halfway house for addicts.   Addiction of various kinds (drugs, sex, entertainment) is a constant throughout.  I am halfway through and very curious of how things will conclude.

I hated Infinite Jest. I thought there were too many plots and none of the characters were sympathetic.

[Luckylyn]

47 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

I hated Infinite Jest. I thought there were too many plots and none of the characters were sympathetic.

You definitely have a point about unsympathetic characters.   And the beginning was a struggle because of the vast amount of plots.  I’ve adjusted to the jumping around to various characters/plots. Parts of it are a rough read but it’s compelling.  I must find out how it ends.

[Spartan Girl]

Just started Molly Shannon’s memoir. I had no idea she lost her mom and little sister in a car crash (her father was drinking and driving) when she was four. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Ceindreadh]

Just finished reading 'Call the Midwife - A labour of love' by Stephen McGann.  It's an official behind the scenes guide to the first ten years of the show and features contributions from pretty near all the main cast over the past 10 years, as well as writers/producers/directors/props people etc.

I'd call it a 'must read' for anybody who watches the show regularly. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Picked up one of my faves-Once a Princess by Johanna Lindsay, after reading what @scarynikki12 posted about her Malory series. Yeah, yeah, you’d think I’d start with them, but I adore Stefan and Tanya.

[Ceindreadh]

Just finished reading 'The Shepherd's Crown' by Terry Pratchett.

I'd put off reading it for ages, in part because it's the last one and I didn't want to have finished them all.  (also I'd heard rumours of

a character death

and wasn't sure I wanted to read about it)

I am glad that I've read it, although, yes, tears were shed.  I think I'm going to have to start at the beginning again now. 

 

[Madding crowd]

Just started The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St James. I was lukewarm on her last book The Sundown Motel even though it had high ratings. This one is more interesting so far.

[Anduin]

I don't read as much as I used to, these days. But even now, there's one author who I buy the day of release, finish that night. Ben Aaronovitch, and his Rivers of London series. All right, I could have bought it last week from an indie bookshop. But the Dymocks releases usually have an extra short story in the back. This time, no such luck. Ah well.

Anyway, Amongst Our Weapons is as good as ever. However, maybe I'm getting used to his humour or he's putting less jokes in, but I found this one a little more serious than his others. Anyone else notice that?

Furthermore, he's not so big on the foreshadowing this time. In previous books, Peter would normally finish elaborating a plan with 'so much for that idea', 'shows what I know', or something similar. This time, no. I couldn't guess how the plot was going to go, apart from my experiences with previous books. One character I was expecting to return, but it happened late enough that I was starting to doubt. :)

Anyway, good story. I'll absolutely read it again in a few months.

[grommit2]

Guidance?
I have read several Spencer Quinn "Chet and Bernie" mystery series and found them entertaining (most of the dialogue is provided by Chet, a smart, humorous dog). 
My local B&N has a collection of mysteries featuring...cats.  Some have dogs.   I tried one and found it less than compelling.
But, I am willing to try again...does anyone have a recommendation?

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, Anduin said:

Ben Aaronovitch, and his Rivers of London series. All right, I could have bought it last week from an indie bookshop. But the Dymocks releases usually have an extra short story in the back. This time, no such luck. Ah well.

I love this series so much.  I also especially love the audiobooks because the narrator infuses Peter (and everyone else, tbh) with such personality in his voice performance.  So I usually get them in audio.  Can't wait to start this one.

Started The No Show by Beth O'Leary.  I really loved her first novel, The Flatshare but her subsequent ones have not worked for me.  I hoped this one would break the slump, but sigh it hasn't.   I had to put this one down because the first person present tense was annoying me. 

[blackwing]

7 hours ago, Anduin said:

I don't read as much as I used to, these days. But even now, there's one author who I buy the day of release, finish that night. Ben Aaronovitch, and his Rivers of London series. All right, I could have bought it last week from an indie bookshop. But the Dymocks releases usually have an extra short story in the back. This time, no such luck. Ah well.

 

5 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

I love this series so much.  I also especially love the audiobooks because the narrator infuses Peter (and everyone else, tbh) with such personality in his voice performance.  So I usually get them in audio.  Can't wait to start this one.

So it looks like this guy is a detective who is also an apprentice wizard?  Interesting.  Is it set in a fantasy world, where magic is prevalent and common, or does this guy exist in the "normal" world and happen to be a secret wizard?  I've long been looking for more series that are mysteries set in fantasy worlds (like the late Dave Duncan's Enchanter General series).  I will have to check this series out.

[DearEvette]

It is set in a version of our own world present day London where magic (and living Gods and Goddesses) exist but nobody knows except those who have the gift. 
 

The books are a bit  of a genre bender in that they are police procedural/mystery/paranormal mash ups. Peter himself is a technophile who, as he is learning magic in his role as a police officer, also likes to incorporate regular old science and technology right along side it.

[Anduin]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I love this series so much.  I also especially love the audiobooks because the narrator infuses Peter (and everyone else, tbh) with such personality in his voice performance.  So I usually get them in audio.  Can't wait to start this one.

Started The No Show by Beth O'Leary.  I really loved her first novel, The Flatshare but her subsequent ones have not worked for me.  I hoped this one would break the slump, but sigh it hasn't.   I had to put this one down because the first person present tense was annoying me. 

I haven't listened to the audiobooks. Should really give them a shot.

[Haleth]

I read a couple or three of the Rivers of London books. Love that the rivers are personified as real people. They kind of remind me of American Gods in that way. 

[Luckylyn]

So I finished Infinite Jest and was left with feelings of disappointment and frustration.  I hung in there believing the overall story would be worth it but I was wrong.  It just sorta ends with no resolution.  It’s just over and I was so annoyed.

Now I have moved out on to the more satisfying Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward.  I am in the middle of Lover Arisen which features the thief Balthazar and the Detective Erika.   I have mixed feelings about the villain.  I found the Omega boring and so didn’t mind his departure.  But Devina as a replacement is very “been there, done that” because she was the villain of Jr Ward’s Fallen Angel series.   I was hoping that including her in the Black Dagger series would add a new dimension to her character but so far it’s all the same in all the books.  She’s still a demon who hoards designer clothing and fixates on trying force a man who despises her to love her.    She so powerful and uses her magical skills on petty bs.  She has more personality than the Omega but her story is so repetitive.  Whether she’s obsessing over Jim, Butch, Balthazar, etc it’s all the same.  The only thing that changes is who she’s obsessed with.  Plus I don’t  know if she even really wants love.  I think she’d be bored by a man who actually loved her.  She’s fixated in on the unattainable.  Jr Ward needs to give her something new to do or get a new villain.   

[Anduin]

I'm back on the Expanse, specifically Perseopolis Rising. My god, Singh is so fucking incompetent. He achieves victory with barely a shot. But can he hold his captured territory? The fuck he can. He makes no effort to win the hearts and minds of the conquered, assuming they should buy into the dream as much as he has. You know the big problem? No one's told them the dream! He assumes they'll just roll over and behave. Then he ridiculously overreacts when people act like people, and push back. What a complete and utter fuckwit.

Here's my theory. He was set up to fail. To look like a complete monster. Assuming he isn't assassinated soon, he'll be called back. Where he'll either be executed for incompetence or just kicked upstairs. The next one to his role will have a softer touch.

If there are any would-be conquerors out there, here's a piece of advice. Straight away, try to get on conquerees good sides. Give them a reason not to fight back. That might be things like food and medicine, it might be some really fun movies. But you catch more flies with honey, you know? That goes for people too.

[GaT]

On 4/21/2022 at 7:03 AM, Luckylyn said:

Now I have moved out on to the more satisfying Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward.  I am in the middle of Lover Arisen which features the thief Balthazar and the Detective Erika.   I have mixed feelings about the villain.  I found the Omega boring and so didn’t mind his departure.  But Devina as a replacement is very “been there, done that” because she was the villain of Jr Ward’s Fallen Angel series.   I was hoping that including her in the Black Dagger series would add a new dimension to her character but so far it’s all the same in all the books.  She’s still a demon who hoards designer clothing and fixates on trying force a man who despises her to love her.    She so powerful and uses her magical skills on petty bs.  She has more personality than the Omega but her story is so repetitive.  Whether she’s obsessing over Jim, Butch, Balthazar, etc it’s all the same.  The only thing that changes is who she’s obsessed with.  Plus I don’t  know if she even really wants love.  I think she’d be bored by a man who actually loved her.  She’s fixated in on the unattainable.  Jr Ward needs to give her something new to do or get a new villain.   

I was seriously not happy with Lover Arisen. This is the 20th book in the series, & yet she's still writing about the Omega & Devina. The love story wasn't even that interesting, what happened to the bonding scent? The great attraction? The mental connection? I feel like Ward is just doing a money grab at this point.

[Luckylyn]

On 4/22/2022 at 4:31 PM, GaT said:

I was seriously not happy with Lover Arisen. This is the 20th book in the series, & yet she's still writing about the Omega & Devina. The love story wasn't even that interesting, what happened to the bonding scent? The great attraction? The mental connection? I feel like Ward is just doing a money grab at this point.

I liked the Balthazar/Erika romance.  The bonding scent and marking were referenced.   I hope Ward does something interesting with the villains because that’s an area of weakness in the series.  I really hope for happiness for Lassiter soon.  

[Luckylyn]

I decided to finally read all the Narnia books by C.S Lewis.  The set I got starts with The Magician’s Nephew.  I just started and hate Uncle Andrew who is just so happy to use children for his experiments in traveling to another dimension.  He’s decided it’s too dangerous for him to travel to the other world but tricking children into going there is fine. But It’s clear that Andre is supposed to be the worst. I can tell it’s going to be a quick read. I’m hoping that Digory’s prediction that Uncle Andrew will have bad consequences proves correct.

[laughs]

1. Tony Tulathimutte's Private Citizens - Really liking this so far. It's intelligent and funny, and the language is beautiful, too. It also feels deeply contemporary, which is not a positive in and of itself. Just that a work that insists on capturing the zeitgeist can fall flat, but this one doesn't. Hoping to finish this one this weekend.

2. My friend and I are doing some introductory readings on formal logic just to mix things up and for the love of learning. We also make it a point to find improbable materials from improbable sources, and the internet doesn't let us down. Currently focusing on transductive reasoning. Feels like the yin to fiction's yang.

[OtterMommy]

I just finished The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb and really enjoyed it.  It was a good, fast-paced heist-thriller with a very likable lead.  

Now starting The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett.  I really enjoyed The Appeal, so I have high hopes for this one.

[Spartan Girl]

Just got Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel and I love it. The Ramayana is another one of my epic literature obsessions. While I know there has been some discourse about whether mythological retellings are necessary, this one is really good. And as the author pointed out, there are many different versions of the Ramayana, so there’s more than one interpretation. 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[proserpina65]

On 4/24/2022 at 7:30 AM, Luckylyn said:

I decided to finally read all the Narnia books by C.S Lewis.  The set I got starts with The Magician’s Nephew.  I just started and hate Uncle Andrew who is just so happy to use children for his experiments in traveling to another dimension.  He’s decided it’s too dangerous for him to travel to the other world but tricking children into going there is fine. But It’s clear that Andre is supposed to be the worst. I can tell it’s going to be a quick read. I’m hoping that Digory’s prediction that Uncle Andrew will have bad consequences proves correct.

Ugh, I hate the sets which start with The Magician's Nephew.  It's a terrible place to start because it takes all the mystery out of Narnia before the Pevensee children get there.  One should always start with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

 

[dubbel zout]

I think it's worth reading the books in the chronological order of Narnia, as it were, but after you've read them in the order Lewis wrote them.

[Luckylyn]

Just finished The Magician’s Nephew and I will be reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe soon.  Since I have already seen a couple if adaptations of TLTWTW , I don’t think reading TMN ruined anything for me.  

Now I am reading The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang which is a contemporary romance.  Stella a woman has Aspergers who struggles with relationships and intimacy .  She decides to hire an escort so she can get sexual practice.  Michael has rules about avoiding getting close to his clients but he finds himself getting attached to Stella.

[Mindthinkr]

I just finished The Horsewoman by James Patterson and Mike Lupicia. It’s a fast paced novel on the A circuit of show jumping (think Olympics). As an equestrian I had to suspend some of what I know, but overall it was enjoyable. I also give him props for some of his characters. I’m busy trying to guess who is who although the book does name drop a few real biggies. 
 

Now I’ve begun (about halfway through…it’s a short book) called Julia’s Cats by Patricia Barey and Therese Burson. It’s about how the great chef Julia Childs was a cat lover. It includes a lot of personal photos of hers and more insight into how she got to be the chef she was and her life in France. It’s an entertaining read. 
 

I finished the latter book.
It was a love letter to Julia and her cats and I loved it. 

Edited April 27, 2022 by Mindthinkr

[Danny Franks]

Red Notice by Bill Browder. He's the financier who pressured the US into creating the Magnitsky Act, which sanctioned a bunch of Russian oligarchs and politicians, after his friend, Sergei Magnitsky, was killed by the Russian government while investigating corruption.

I'm only 100 pages in, but so far it's a really interesting look at how open the Russian economy was to opportunists in the immediate post-Soviet years. Browder writes about making his fortune on chronically under-valued Russian state assets that were being sold off and how no one in Russia seemed to have a clue how to do free market economics. Which, of course, opened the door for the oligarchs to hoover up everything.

It's not as dry as I expected it to be, and Browder manages to make extremely dull discussions about profit/loss, share prices and and company valuations easy to read. He also has plenty of interesting anecdotes about major figures in finance and politics of the time, including Robert Maxwell and Edmond Safra. 

 

[Haleth]

^ I can't tell you how many times I've nearly picked that one up.  He has a new book out too.

[Danny Franks]

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

^ I can't tell you how many times I've nearly picked that one up.  He has a new book out too.

It's definitely worth reading.

A bit further in, and Browder is talking about how he stumbled onto massive corruption at Gazprom (shares worth billions being sold for peanuts to relatives of Gazprom management) and decided to go to the press with it. Putin fired the Gazprom CEO and appointed a new man. The same pattern repeated with a few other companies and Browder naively thought Putin was just cleaning up corruption. As we all now know, he was just consolidating all the wealth and power within his own inner circle and taking advantage of the opportunities Browder was giving him.

A lot of this was covered in Rachel Maddow's book, Blowout, as well, but it's interesting to see it from the point of view of a man who was directly involved with these companies.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Danny Franks

[Luckylyn]

I really enjoyed The Kissing Quotient.   I liked the characters actually  to know each other and we got to see their bond develop.  My only issue is the characters poor communication about how they felt going on too long but the book provided a rationale for both of them to struggle to express themselves.  

Now I will continue my Narnia journey with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. 

[OtterMommy]

I finished The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett, which was good but hard to explain.  The best I can do is to say it isn't about what it is about.  I do think if anyone wants to read this, they should read The Appeal first.  The two books aren't related, but The Appeal is an easier entry into what Janice Hallett does in her books.

Now I'm reading Razorblade Tears.  The story is great, but I'm not sure I can stomach the violence.

[Thunder Lee]

I'm reading now Mystery of Success, Fame and Fortune by Dr. Paszynski. Quite interesting view showing the way to success (broadly understood). 100 chapters symbolizing 100 steps. I will see in future does it work for me or not. Universal message for sure and interesting quotes, chosen from the greatest from Socrates to Einstein.

[Spartan Girl]

Reading Viola Davis’ memoir Finding Me. I’m barely halfway through the book, and the stuff about her childhood makes me want a drink. 

[SusanM]

Still working my way through all the Nero Wolfes.  I just finished Death of a Doxy and was amazed to realize that Rex Stout wrote this when he was 80.  It is, IMO, one of his best full length novels. 

I don't mean to say that older people can't write well but in my experience with most long running series the last few books tend to be weaker - to the point where you know if it hadn't been penned by Famous Author it never would have been published.  Definitely not the case with Rex Stout!

Edited April 30, 2022 by SusanM

[blackwing]

On 4/30/2022 at 9:12 AM, Spartan Girl said:

Reading Viola Davis’ memoir Finding Me. I’m barely halfway through the book, and the stuff about her childhood makes me want a drink. 

I'm waiting for the audiobook from the library.  She narrates it herself, which will hopefully make it even better.  I listened to Tiffany Haddish's memoir on audiobook and the fact that she narrated it herself definitely gave it even more impact.

[sugarbaker design]

On 4/30/2022 at 1:07 PM, SusanM said:

Still working my way through all the Nero Wolfes.  I just finished Death of a Doxy and was amazed to realize that Rex Stout wrote this when he was 80.  It is, IMO, one of his best full length novels. 

I read some Stouts many years ago,  I've been brushing up on my mystery classic authors lately (there's been some reprints of old John Dickson Carr novels).  If I wanted to pick up a Stout novel, would you recommend I start from the beginning?  If not, what are some of his best works.  I do remember Wolfe, Archie and Fritz, if not Stout's plots, quite well.

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

If I wanted to pick up a Stout novel, would you recommend I start from the beginning?

I would definitely recommend starting with his earlier works and moving forward from there.  In some ways things don't change much (Archie is eternally about 32/34 and Nero somewhere in his late 50s for instance) but yet in other ways they do.  All the books are of their time but as the series progressed we move into the war years and then the Cold War years and McCarthyism and then J. Edgar Hoover, Vietnam, Women's Rights (Wolfe does not approve) and finally Watergate. 

So while I honestly don't think it matters whether you read them in order it will get a little weird if you read a lot in a row but totally randomly!  Word of warning don't read A Family Affair until you reach the end of the series or until you decide you won't be reading the whole series.  Something significant happens to one of the supporting cast (not Nero or Archie) but it really does signal the end of the line.  

My own preference is for his short stories and novellas -  especially love Counterfeit for Murder (from Homicide Trinity).  Of the books my 5 top picks are: Death of a Doxy, Plot it Yourself, Might as Well Be Dead, Champagne for One and The Silent Speaker.   Oh rats. top 6, I also really like Murder By the Book - the ending is particularly effective - and unusual for a Rex Stout, quite touching.

Edited May 2, 2022 by SusanM

[JustHereForFood]

Currently reading Jeanette Winterson's memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? It is quite an emotional roller coaster.

[Luckylyn]

Now I am reading Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress of the Rifle Fortune. I remember watching the Ripley’s Believe It or Not episode about the decades of construction of her famous house.  I was familiar with the mythology about her which claimed she was superstitious and possibly mentally ill believing construction on her house must keep going forever to prevent her death.  The book makes it clear the stories used to drive tourists to her home are not accurate.  Aspects of the house that seem odd do have reasonable explanations.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

I can't believe I never noticed this when I initially read it, and in my numerous re-reads! And I'm ANAL about stuff like this.

I've gone down the re-read of my favorite Johanna Lindsay books, and just finished Man of My Dreams. This time, I noticed the anachronistic phrases that don't belong in 19th century Victorian England!

To whit: "You have got to be kidding me"

"Look who's talking."

"You could have fooled me."

Me: Say whuuuut?

It's 1878. Those phrases are too...20th century!

[Haleth]

12 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It's 1878. Those phrases are too...20th century!

I was reading a historical novel recently, can't even remember what it was, but a couple times a female character was referred to as "Ms <whatever>."  Took me out of the story completely.  

Ok, I looked it up.  It was The Great Circle which takes place in the early 20th c.  I didn't finish it because I found I just did not connect to or care about the lead character, but yes, she was referred to as Ms Graves a number of times.  In 1920something.

[Danny Franks]

Started Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I didn't really enjoy The Road, thanks to McCarthy's pretentious style, and this promises to be more of the same.

[Lugal]

Just finished The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow.  It made me look at prehistory completely differently.

[Spartan Girl]

Reading Out of the Corner by Jennifer Grey. So. Much. Tea.

[WritinMan]

On 5/5/2022 at 8:54 AM, Danny Franks said:

Started Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I didn't really enjoy The Road, thanks to McCarthy's pretentious style, and this promises to be more of the same.

Blood Meridian is the most pretentious book I've ever read. Well...tried to read. Twice. More so than The Road which I did like, but was annoyed by it several times.

I think McCarthy's best book is No Country for Old Men which I've read multiple times. I think it's a masterpiece, to be honest.

Edited May 6, 2022 by WritinMan

[Haleth]

I've only read The Road but think the style perfectly suits the setting - cold, sparse, hopeless.  Little dialog because there is nothing to talk about and talking takes too much energy.  Man, it's depressing.  Brilliant but depressing. 

[stewedsquash]

How To Kidnap The Rich by Rahul Raina. Brand new author for me, set in India and geared towards an Indian reader. Reviews include comedy and satire in descriptions. Got a blurb from Kevin Kwan.