What Are We Currently Reading?

[Melgaypet]

I think I've mentioned this before, but I no longer enjoy depressing or graphically violent novels. I need comfort and escapism from my fiction, which is why I've become so fond of cozy mysteries. I recently read the most recent Lady Hardcastle mystery, Rotten to the Core, and enjoyed it very much.

Non-fiction is different. I can handle it better, for whatever reason. I just finished Jaycee Dugard's memoir A Stolen Life. Some of was very harrowing, naturally, but there was also quite a bit of hope. She's a remarkable woman.

Next up is the third (and final?) Shady Hollow mystery, Mirror Lake. Another cozy, and I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed the first two.

Edited July 18, 2022 by Melgaypet

[BlackberryJam]

Finished The Murder of Mr. Wickam by Claudia Gray. It was a depressing, humorless slog. There were 8000 POV characters, and it felt like it switched POVs every 3 paragraphs. Killing off one of the biggest assholes in literature SHOULD have been fun and satisfying, but ugh.

Spoiler

Every married couple is in the middle of some emotional crisis and not communicating. So those HEAs we got in the original books are just gone.

Hated it. Do not recommend.

Moving on to Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia.

[EtheltoTillie]

19 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Finished The Murder of Mr. Wickam by Claudia Gray. It was a depressing, humorless slog. There were 8000 POV characters, and it felt like it switched POVs every 3 paragraphs. Killing off one of the biggest assholes in literature SHOULD have been fun and satisfying, but ugh.

  Hide contents

Every married couple is in the middle of some emotional crisis and not communicating. So those HEAs we got in the original books are just gone.

Hated it. Do not recommend.

Moving on to Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia.

Agree!  I didn’t get past the beginning.  The relationships were not true to the characters.  Emma and mr knightly bickering —. Nope!  

[Darian]

14 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Moving on to Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia.

I'm about to start that. I enjoyed the first in the series a lot. 

[sugarbaker design]

14 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Moving on to Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia.

1 minute ago, Darian said:

I'm about to start that. I enjoyed the first in the series a lot. 

I listened to an interview of Afia on The Cozy Corner with Alexia Gordon, she was very interesting.  Her first novel Dead Dead Girls is on my TBR list.

[proserpina65]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:47 AM, Starleigh said:

And I tried reading Jennifer Weiner's first couple of books when they first came out, and the writing style bugged me too much to finish either. Also not a fan of her NYT columns! I think her fame went to her head, she always comes off as smug and arrogant to me.

Obviously, YMMV. I realize I'm in the minority with these opinions

I tried reading Good In Bed when it first came out because I thought I'd find the plus-sized main character relatable.  I did not.  I bailed about a quarter of the way through and never bothered with Weiner's books again.

[BlackberryJam]

3 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

I listened to an interview of Afia on The Cozy Corner with Alexia Gordon, she was very interesting.  Her first novel Dead Dead Girls is on my TBR list.

I liked Dead Dead Girls but it felt very much like a FIRST BOOK MUST GET EVERYTHING IN BECAUSE WHAT IF I DON'T GET ANOTHER! I am hoping this one is a little easier on that. I love the premise so much. 

[Grrarrggh]

Reading the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold the way she recommends: chronologically. Enjoying it so far even though I'm not a big sci-fi fan. 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Grrarrggh

[DearEvette]

4 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Reading the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold the way she recommends: chronologically. Enjoying it so far even though I'm not a big sci-fi fan. 

I read it chronologically as well.  Love this series so hard!  The world building is great, the deep political and social history she gives the Vor class and Barrayar is great and Miles is one of my very favorite fictional characters hands down.

[Luckylyn]

I love the Vorkosigan Saga.  The characters and the worlds are so compelling.

@Starleigh The only Jennifer Weiner I have read is In Her Shoes which I loved. They made a great film adaptation of it staring Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, and Shirley Mclain.

I’m currently reading  Scifi novel Mirage by Julie C. Czerneda which is book 2 in her Web shifter’s Library series.  This is a sequel series to her Web Shifter Series.   I highly recommend both series.  There are beings who can become any species and have lived thousands of years as part if different alien cultures.  In the first series Esen the youngest of her web breaks the rules befriending a human Paul and revealing the secret of her shifting.   Esen and Paul experience great deal of danger and are really good people who want to help others. Their friendship is powerful almost like a marriage except they aren’t romantically involved.  They just have this amazing partnership and their circle of allies are great characters.   Now the characters have founded a library open to all species to spread knowledge and hopefully prevent conflict between groups due to misunderstandings.   In Mirage, a group needing asylum starts off a series of events that endangers their planet.   

[blackwing]

On 7/17/2022 at 7:53 PM, BlackberryJam said:

Finished The Murder of Mr. Wickam by Claudia Gray. It was a depressing, humorless slog. There were 8000 POV characters, and it felt like it switched POVs every 3 paragraphs. Killing off one of the biggest assholes in literature SHOULD have been fun and satisfying, but ugh.

  Hide contents

Every married couple is in the middle of some emotional crisis and not communicating. So those HEAs we got in the original books are just gone.

Hated it. Do not recommend.

I was about to pick up this book when I saw it at the library, I was pulled in by the blurb saying it was like a game of "Clue".  I am a sucker for anything "Clue".  I put it down because I'm not an Austen fan, I think I've only ever read Pride and Prejudice of hers and thought it was a slog, and figured I wouldn't know who any of these characters are.  Thanks for the review and saving me some time.

[Grrarrggh]

Also reading Boy in the Water by Stephen Dobyns which isn't all that great. More than halfway through and I've had to stop myself from just putting it away and not bothering. Can anyone who has read it give me advice? 

[Starleigh]

I've actually been reading a lot of memoirs this summer:

 Jennifer Gray's--best parts were her memories of making Dirty Dancing. Boring parts were the endless analysis and explanations of why/how/when/the aftermath of her nose job😆

Minnie Driver--felt bad for her when she described her childhood, but the "literary" writing style was a bit of a turnoff.

 Kellyanne Conway's--was curious mainly to learn more about her marriage. She didn't really go into detail, but reading between the lines, it sounds like they are separated (even if not divorced). Wasn't expecting to find her early years in her career so interesting, but I did. I didn't realize that she cut her teeth in politics by being a pollster and having her own company. She must know so many people in D.C. and the inner workings on both sides of the political aisle, though she didn't spill the beans on anybody (you just know she knows all the dirt!). The closest she came to it was trashing Steve Bannon. 

Kathleen Buhle (Hunter Biden's ex)--she really had only nice things to say about the Biden family. Sounds like Hunter struggled with addictions most of his life, and they really lived life on the edge (financially) for years. It ended on an upbeat note, though. 

[andromeda331]

On 7/17/2022 at 7:11 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

The depressing-literature book club is all too common. My cousin is constantly touting her book club selections, but they’re all virtue-signaling reads about young women in other countries who survive wars and other difficult situations. 

I do like reading books about men and woman surviving wars and stuff but I can't imagine reading only those books. I like to switch between those, biographies, and fiction. Usually after reading one those I'm ready for something more light and/or happy.

Edited July 21, 2022 by andromeda331

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/27/2021 at 11:15 AM, stewedsquash said:

I have these on hold for download with wait times at the library:

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz  six month wait, down from eight

Did you finally get The Plot?  It now has no hold at the library. I just read it, so I was searching for previous mentions from when the book came out. 
I thought it was pretty bad.   I guessed who the villain was really early. The writer who steals the plot was an unlikeable jerk. I felt like this author was writing something to say look at me. I wrote a successful thriller that was made into a TV series with a big star (her earlier book You Should Have Known). 

[Crs97]

I am reading The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki and am not loving it so far.  So far it seems focused way too much on her love life rather than her becoming one of the first female heads of a major company.  It’s also written in first person, and I think she is an unreliable narrator.  Hoping it gets better.

[grommit2]

Hi...picked up William Martin's latest: December '41.
Interesting, believable premise: an assassin is after FDR, just after Pearl Harbor.
But, I really needed my notes on following who's who, primarily because the names come at you fast and furious, and get the twist of several alias/cover names for the lead characters.  We'll see how it goes.

[zoey1996]

I've been reading CC Tillery's Appalachian Journey series, so I'm well into #5, Granny Woman. I am looking at another series by the same authors, Brown Mountain Lights. It's time travel and a series of six so far, so I haven't decided if I want to give it a try, but I probably will.

I recently started Jennifer Weiner's The Summer Place. So far some interesting twists and turns. Nice light reading. I've never been to the Cape, but it's so hot here this week, it sounds lovely in comparison. Never before read anything by Wiener that I recall, either.

[Luckylyn]

I just finished the historical romance  Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare which is part of the Spindle Cove series.  Due to a secret heartbreak, Duke Griff is determined never to marry and have children but his mother is very determined to to him married.  She drags him to Spindle Cove a town famous for being full of spinsters and insists he pick someone to be his wife.  Angry at his mother Griff chooses barmaid Pauline as a challenge.  His mother has one week to make a serving girl succeed as a potential Duchess with their society friends and if she fails his mother will stop matchmaking.  Secretly Pauline and Griff have their own deal where he’ll give her the money she needs for her and her sister to be independent of their horrible father if she fails spectacularly to become Duchess material.  Along the way Pauline and Griff fall in love but his secrets and her concerns about their class differences present obstacles to their happiness.  This has been a great series so far.  

Edited July 24, 2022 by Luckylyn

[Luckylyn]

I’m currently reading The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel.  Meena was without family after the deaths of her adoptive parents when she’s a teen.  Years later she receives an unexpected inheritance from a woman she doesn’t know.  Meena’s new apartment brings her in contact with meddling neighbors and a handsome man next door.   So far the “Aunties” are getting on my nerves.  One scene very early in the book when Meena is criticized for how she pronounced her own last name particularly struck me because I have had that experience of someone making incorrect assumptions about my ethnicity and implying I am saying my name wrong.  No one should tell anyone how to say their own name.  For Meena that moment is particularly upsetting because when the Auntie asks her about her heritage Meena doesn’t know because she doesn’t know anything about her biological family.  I feel like the Aunties keep pointing out how Meena is doing things wrong like objecting to her habit of locking her apartment door when everyone else leaves their door unlocked.  They want her to conform to their way and so far don’t give much consideration for her experiences and feelings.  There’s a middle ground between them teaching her about their traditions and culture and her wanting her own space sometimes.  I feel like I am supposed to want Meena to embrace her neighbors and start thinking of them as family but I am mostly sympathetic to Meena’s difficulty dealing with pushy neighbors.  The apartment comes with clues that could help Meena discover the family history she doesn’t know about.  

[Starleigh]

Started reading The Hacienda by Isabel Canas. Just a few pages in, but it's got a definite gothic-Rebecca sort of vibe going on. 

I've also been rereading the Tillerman family saga, by Cynthia Voight. I read most of them years ago as a teenager but am liking them much more now, reading as an adult. Today I read Sons From Afar which is one of the last ones. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

So I re-read Jackie Collins’s Chances and. Lucky over the weekend. Hadn’t read them since I first read them when I was a teen. And this time, noticed an oops when reading Lucky. When expositioning when and how Gino met and got involved with Susan, Jackie must have forgotten that he was still in exile in Israel, when Tiny Martino died-so how could he have attended his funeral and then meet his widow? Especially since in book time, it had been a year since he returned?

And this time I found myself wishing Jackie had written those scenes when Gino personally avenged Maria’s murder, so I could read the lines of Pinky begging. Though the way Jackie wrote those few lines was almost as satisfying.

Still waiting for Nalini’s latest.

[Spartan Girl]

I read The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne, a retelling of Rapunzel, and it was good. Really, really good. I was worried it would wind up being more villain apologia but thankfully that’s not the case.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[Wiendish Fitch]

I recently read Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson, which is Emerson revealing truth behind the "real" diary Go Ask Alice and the shady legacy of its "editor", Beatrice Sparks.

I confess my feelings on it are ambivalent. Oh, don't get me wrong; I've long suspected that Go Ask Alice, Jay's Journal, and all the other diaries Sparks "edited" were bullshit and that Sparks herself was a lying, pearl-clutching, power-hungry moral hypocrite. The problem is that while Emerson is an engaging writer who keeps one hooked, he didn't include a bibliography, and while many of the events are easily researched, it bothered me that he doesn't cite his sources, and there is a ton of stuff linked to Sparks and her story. What's irritating is that I'm willing to believe Emerson, but that's due to my own bias, and that's not enough for me. 

Moral of the story? Show. Your. Work. 

p.s.

For all the Go Ask Alice skeptics, here's Paul F. Tompkins's stand-up routine on it, it's a hoot. 

[Crs97]

I loathed The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post;  it should have been called The Magnificent Jewelry and Men because that was the only focus.

I loved Into the Wild Light - it’s just beautiful!

I just started Elle and the Harp Maker.  Fingers crossed!

[dubbel zout]

14 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

I loathed The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post;  it should have been called The Magnificent Jewelry and Men because that was the only focus.

Oooh, sounds right up my alley! LOL. Magnificent jewelry is one of my interests, despite not have a correspondingly magnificent bank account (or the kind of life where one would wear magnificent jewelry).

Men aren't too bad, either.

[isalicat]

For those who enjoy this sort of thing, Donna Leon's latest crime novel set in Venice, Transient Desires, was very good and much less filled with her usual complaints about the ruination of that beautiful city by tourists, etc. (although there are still some...). It involves people trafficking and is very well written. I still love her descriptions of Venetian food and drink and family life.

[sugarbaker design]

9 hours ago, isalicat said:

For those who enjoy this sort of thing, Donna Leon's latest crime novel set in Venice, Transient Desires, was very good and much less filled with her usual complaints about the ruination of that beautiful city by tourists, etc. (although there are still some...). It involves people trafficking and is very well written. I still love her descriptions of Venetian food and drink and family life.

I'm a huge fan of Leon and her work.  While it's true that the cynicism and despair depicted in modern day Venice through its corruption, graft and all seven deadly sins can be overwhelming, it's usually nicely counterbalanced by the hope, civility and sophistication of Brunetti and his lovely family.  Please note I used the word usually.  The Golden Egg was so dark, I had to take a break from Leon.

[Luckylyn]

I’ve had the non-fiction Five Days At Memorial by Sheri Fink  “to read” list for a couple of years but kept putting it off maybe  because I thought reading it would be too upsetting.  It details  the horrifying events at a hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina where 45 patients were found dead after the evacuation.  This was higher than any other hospital in the city.  A lot went wrong that lead up to those events.  The federal government, local government, the company that owned the hospital, the hospital administrators, and some members of staff all made errors that had terrible consequences.  There were failures on multiple levels and after the power went out the situation at the hospital got desperate.  I think they were so emersed  in the direness of their situation that they lost sight of the consequences of their actions.  There was an intense paranoia about their situation and a great deal of suffering.  Some doctors and nurses made the decision to euthanize patients that were listed as category 3(last to be rescued because they had DNRs and/or were in critical condition).  One patient was only listed as category 3 because he was obese and paralyzed and it was believed carrying him to the rescue helicopter or boat would be too difficult.  I can never truly understand the horrors everyone experienced but still believe their choice was wrong.  One daughter of a patient stated her mother being DNR meant not reviving her if her heart stopped as a result of her illness.  It did not give permission to not be rescued.   There are stories of heroism in this event with staff going above and beyond to take care of patients under terrible conditions but also some disturbing in my opinion arrogance of doctors making the decisions without giving patients a choice about their life or death.  Telling a patient they are being given medicine to help them that’s actually a lethal dose of medications is a line that should  not be crossed.  If the patients made a choice that this was what they wanted because they believed they wouldn’t survive the wait for rescue maybe I would feel differently.  But they weren’t given a choice.  

Edited August 1, 2022 by Luckylyn

[DearEvette]

Well I just DNF'd a book at 51% complete.  It was called Well Met by Jen Deluca.  It is a contemporary romance set at a Ren Faire.  I got it because of the Ren Faire setting, hoping the author would give us some good content there -- give us a feel of the hustle and bustle, the crowds, the acting/living history and the various characters that make up the Faire.  She kinda-sorta did that but not really.  The main character is a tavern wench at the Ren faire and her love interest is the organizer and plays a pirate and a human chess piece.  The book is in first person POV and the heroine's mind is just too much for me.  She overthinks everything.  Also she spends too much time in the tavern.  Since we are tethered to her mind we don't get to see much of the faire.

Also there just isn't enough plot to sustain the story so it  just begins to lose steam for me. So yeah I gave up at 51%.

Now I am starting A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay (LOL couldn't be any more different from Well Met if I'd tried) and it starts off with the assassination of a sadomasochistic pedophile.  So yeah, this is working for me. 

[Luckylyn]

I just finished historical romance Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins which is second in her “Women who dare” series.   A reporter for a black newspaper comes to town to do a story on Spring’s brother Colton who is a doctor.  After being forced out of her home when she was a teen during the winter by her grandfather after refusing to marry his friend Spring was forced to make hard choices to survive.  Now as an adult Spring depends on no one and runs her own small ranch.  Proper Garrett is surprised and impressed by Spring when they meet.  Someone dangerous from Spring’s past come to town endangering her and Garrett.  

[dubbel zout]

I just finished The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill. I enjoyed it up to a point and thought the ending was a little frantic in that way mysteries often are, when the author realizes things need to be wrapped up and the ending isn't quite as thought out as the rest of the story. This ending at least had internal logic and thinking back on the story was a legit way to end the book. But it felt a bit frantic.

Now I'm reading The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai, about a group of friends in Chicago during the height of the AIDS epidemic. A bit of a subject change, for sure!

[Crs97]

I just finished two books that are worth recommending:  The Personal Librarian (about the woman who single-handedly transformed J.P. Morgan’s library into a culturally elite institution- not only was it amazing that a woman was in charge in the early 1900’s, it was later determined that she was “passing” as white) and Bone Deep (Betsy Faria’s murder and the subsequent investigations and trials as told by Russ Faria’s defense attorney).

[laughs]

1. Just picked up Hanif Kureishi's Gabriel's Gift this weekend. This is one of his recent works, along with The Nothing, which I really liked. I'm only about 40 pages in so far in this one, and I must say I'm liking this one too so far.

2. Other than this, I'm doing some ecology readings. Nothing advanced, just basic things, but they're still thought-provoking. Currently reading up about climax communities.

[Ohiopirate02]

16 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I just finished historical romance Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins which is second in her “Women who dare” series.   A reporter for a black newspaper comes to town to do a story on Spring’s brother Colton who is a doctor.  After being forced out of her home when she was a teen during the winter by her grandfather after refusing to marry his friend Spring was forced to make hard choices to survive.  Now as an adult Spring depends on no one and runs her own small ranch.  Proper Garrett is surprised and impressed by Spring when they meet.  Someone dangerous from Spring’s past come to town endangering her and Garrett.  

I adore Ms. Bev and loved this book.  I love a prickly heroine with a heart encased in ice who begins to unthaw when she finally meets her match.  And, Garrett is Spring's match while also being competent and respectful.  

16 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Now I'm reading The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai, about a group of friends in Chicago during the height of the AIDS epidemic. A bit of a subject change, for sure!

I read this one when it came out, and it wrecked me in the best way possible.  

[BlackberryJam]

I enjoyed Harlem Sunset but really felt like it was a mystery in the way I wanted it to be a mystery. The characters are great. The setting is fantastic. I just feel like the plot was letting it down. I’m looking forward to the third in the series. 

Books I started and then decided to skim to the end because they weren’t grabbing me:

Ruby Red Herring by Tracy Gardner. 

Spoiler

If my father faked his death for a year, I’d have been livid. Also, I thought the killer was obvious.

Working Stiff by Annelise Ryan. The main character is a series of stupid decisions. This isn’t a spoiler, but if you find your husband mid-blowjob with another woman, why are you too scared to go back to your home to get your stuff months later? And being too scared to go to the bank to check out the joint bank accounts and use the joint credit cards? Yet, I’m supposed to think of her as a smart, capable woman who can be deputy coroner? Oh hell no. 

Making a character struggle financially without good reason to further the plot or as a reason for actions is just lazy writing. 

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. My sister and I decided to read it so we could discuss. It’d been 2 weeks and we are both dancing around talking about it, when finally she said, “I couldn’t get into it. It was so dumb.” And I was all, “EXACTLY!” Plague Doctor? Really? Ugh. 

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. Stupid twist. 

Books I finished:

Amateur City by Katherine V. Forrest. I enjoyed this but a couple of real sour notes. I know it takes place in the 80s, but having the main character refer to people in her mind as “Oriental” made me uncomfortable. A few other things like that. I’ll give the next one a try though.

Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza. I really enjoyed this one. Pregnant Jewish mother of four who gave up a career as a profiler and a disgraced Asian reporter, investigating a gas station murder in small town New Jersey. Funny and smart. 

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. Second in the Thursday Murder Club. I really enjoy these senior citizens solving crimes.

Edited August 8, 2022 by BlackberryJam

[sugarbaker design]

6 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Amateur City by Katherine V. Forrest.

I read a few by Forrest a few decades ago, I'm going to see what I can find in local libraries.

7 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza. I really enjoyed this one. Pregnant Jewish mother of four who gave up a career as a profiler and a disgraced Asian reporter, investigating a gas station murder in small town New Jersey. Funny and smart. 

This sounds like it's right up my alley!

[grommit2]

Just finished Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
Exceptionally well done.  
A light touch.  An intriguing story line. 
Yes, I found myself rooting for the lead character. 
 

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza. I really enjoyed this one. Pregnant Jewish mother of four who gave up a career as a profiler and a disgraced Asian reporter, investigating a gas station murder in small town New Jersey. Funny and smart. 

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. Second in the Thursday Murder Club. I really enjoy these senior citizens solving crimes.

Suburban Dicks sounds fun and I've been wanting to read the Thursday Murder Club books. Got to get on that. Thanks for the reminder. 

I'm currently on book 7 of the Corgi Case Files series. Still loving it. The main character, Zack, is a bit dim at times, but he's also very endearing, and a truly good person. The stars, though, are the corgis. This isn't one of those series where the animals talk, or their owner can read their minds, they are just super smart dogs who have a knack of finding clues and they have huge personalities (while still very much being like real dogs). If you don't want to think too hard but want a quick, very fun read, I recommend them. I would say the focus is more on the characters than the mysteries, which I personally like, because they are great characters. It's like hanging out with old friends. 

[Crs97]

I’m in the middle of The Man Who Died Twice and enjoying it as much as the first.  Just delightful!  

[GaT]

8 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I’m in the middle of The Man Who Died Twice and enjoying it as much as the first.  Just delightful!  

I love this series & can't wait for The Bullet That Missed in September.

[JustHereForFood]

On 8/8/2022 at 4:51 PM, BlackberryJam said:

Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza. I really enjoyed this one. Pregnant Jewish mother of four who gave up a career as a profiler and a disgraced Asian reporter, investigating a gas station murder in small town New Jersey. Funny and smart. 

Is that the comic writer Fabian Nicieza, or just a writer with the same name? I loved a lot of his Marvel stuff.

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

Is that the comic writer Fabian Nicieza, or just a writer with the same name? I loved a lot of his Marvel stuff.

Could there really be two writers named Fabian Nicieza?  ;)

Edited August 10, 2022 by sugarbaker design

[EtheltoTillie]

I have just finished The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner.  It's about a woman's prison, so think Orange Is the New Black (well, the original book--I never watched the show).  I thought it was a powerful story and well done.  There were a couple of unresolved threads, but I'll take it.  I think she did that on purpose. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm willing to try Suburban Dicks.  It sounds like Susan Isaacs's original suburban mom detective (Compromising Positions) from 40 years ago revived for today.  Which could be fun. 

[Irlandesa]

On 8/9/2022 at 4:12 PM, GaT said:

I love this series & can't wait for The Bullet That Missed in September.

Oh man, I feel so far behind in keeping up with what is going to be published so now I'm ridiculously far behind in line. But I too love this series.

I read a few other well reviewed mysteries and a chick lit/romance book.

A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson:  This is a young adult book that so many seemed to love on goodreads and I loved the title.  It was okay.  It was a fast read.  But also a twist I've seen before so I eventually saw it coming.  You read enough mysteries, I guess that's where you land.  I've heard the subsequent books go a bit off the rails so I think I'll stop with just this one.

The Third To Die by Allison Brenna:  I read this on vacation.  It's part of a series.  I actually quite liked it for a vacation read.  It's more process than whodunnit which I think is where I am now until I burn out on those tropes.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert:  I really enjoyed this book until they got together.  It's not that I wasn't rooting for them but I guess I've lost patience for stupid misunderstandings that split a couple up before they realize they're being stupid.

Man, what has happened to me as a reader?  I feel like such a pill.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Irlandesa

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson:  This is a young adult book that so many seemed to love on goodreads and I loved the title.  It was okay.  It was a fast read.  But also a twist I've seen before so I eventually saw it coming.  You read enough mysteries, I guess that's where you land.  I've heard the subsequent books go a bit off the rails so I think I'll stop with just this one.

This is EXACTLY how I felt about the book and the sequels.

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Man, what has happened to me as a reader?  I feel like such a pill.

Sometimes you hit an unfortunate rough patch in which a string of books don't work for you. There's also a lot of overhyped crap out there, heh.

[Minneapple]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

Sometimes you hit an unfortunate rough patch in which a string of books don't work for you. There's also a lot of overhyped crap out there, heh.

This is how I've been feeling. I've been trying to get out of a reading rut lately and I just can't. Everything on the bestseller lists is trash or something I've read. I've tried a couple of cozy murder mysteries just for something easy to read and I haven't been able to get past like page 20 of each. I think I need to cull my Goodreads "want to read" list and find something that will get me reading again.

[MsNewsradio]

Just read I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy last night (former actress of iCarly and Sam & Cat). It was a great memoir, though difficult at times reading about the abuse she went through at the hands of her mother. Funny and searing. Definitely recommend it. 

[isalicat]

Here is a recommendation of a book a little outside the usual for this forum:

An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West by Konstantin Kisin. The author was born in what was then the Soviet Union and was sent to boarding school in England at age 11; his immediate family did not emigrate until later so he went back and forth to Russia for a while. Its a remarkable personal story as well as a diagnosis of how we (Europe and the U.S./Canada) are undermining what has made us successful since WWII.