What Are We Currently Reading?

[GaT]

43 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

And, I agree about the Lynley novels. I too could. not. finish. "What Came Before He Shot Her" and gave up the series after that. Too much oh-so-precious aristocratic self-indulgent angst going on and on in Lynley's circle, not really offset by Havers' gritty working-class issues. 

And George's attempt at writing with whatever that accent was supposed to be was so awful that even if the plot were good, it would have still been unreadable.

Quote

I'd also add Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series. 

Of course, how could I forget her? She's got a book coming out in October, Peter Robinson has one coming out in September, good reading ahead.

Quote

The late Robert Barnard (1936 - 2013) was another solid Brit contemporary crime author who had a few short "series" and a lot of standalone novels. He never disappointed. I pared down my physical book collection drastically but my shelf of Barnards is going nowhere. They bear re-reads now and then.

I don't believe I've read any of his books, but I know his name. I'll check him out.

[truthaboutluv]

Just completed In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. It was okay but very predictable. I figured out the whole mystery before I even made it half-way through the book.

Also, the protagonist Nora/Lee/Leo (you have to read the book to get this snark) was kind of really dumb and not the interesting, so it made it that much harder to feel invested in the story. Definitely enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10 a lot more. 

Edited September 1, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[Rosenrot]

20 hours ago, Jeeves said:

Ruth Rendell (died in 2015. She writes the Inspector Wexford series (which I love) & standalone psychological thrillers)

OH! I didn't know she had died. I've only read No Night Is Too Long but I lllloveddd it. The TV adaptation is also good (I've been trying to find it on DVD for years but no luck). 

Just wrapped up Clive Barker's Books of Blood vol VI, the only vol I hadn't read yet. Some nice horror and a shout-out from the 80's. And I love me some Harry D'Amour. 🤗

Edited September 1, 2019 by Rosenrot

[catlover79]

[aradia22]

Having trouble picking a September Amazon First Read...

Everything You Are: Plot sounds overly complicated. Pretty cover. I can't tell how they're marketing this. Could be chick lit. Could be highbrow-ish like Meg Wolitzer. It also sounds a little Hallmark/Harlequin but with a fancy cover.

The Dressmaker's Gift: I do like seamstresses, clothing designers, etc. as main characters if there's some research there. But I am so tired of WWII and split timeline (past and present) stories. They're terrible trends that need to die, especially when they're both in play.

Drowning with Others: Big Little Lies secret mystery thriller vibes. The blurb sounds good but I'm wary of knockoffs. 

The Vine Witch: I'm leaning towards this one if not Drowning with Others. The description sounds a bit silly but I do like historical fiction with a magical twist. It seems to be hinting at a romance but I can deal with it if that's not the main focus (I like to keep my proper romances separate from the rest of my reading). My hesitation is whether there's just some magic for a bit of color or if it's VERY magic. I'm not into too much fantasy or sci-fi unless I'm specifically looking for something in that genre.

[Jenniferbug]

@aradia22 I had difficulty choosing this month too, for similar reasons as you. I ended up going with Quantum by Patricia Cornwall and Everything You Are by Kerry Anne King. The first sounded interesting to me, and the second had the most consistently good reviews on Goodreads. 

[Crs97]

I struggled, but picked Little Voices and Everything You Are based on goodreads reviews.  I have a ton of stuff ahead of them  so it will be awhile, but we will see . . .

[DearEvette]

I'm gonna wait a bit longer and revisit mid-month before picking mine.  I've had good results wit that methodology.

[Calvada]

On 9/1/2019 at 4:39 PM, Rosenrot said:

OH! I didn't know she had died. I've only read No Night Is Too Long but I lllloveddd it. The TV adaptation is also good (I've been trying to find it on DVD for years but no luck). 

Just wrapped up Clive Barker's Books of Blood vol VI, the only vol I hadn't read yet. Some nice horror and a shout-out from the 80's. And I love me some Harry D'Amour. 🤗

Ruth Rendell died four years ago on the day Princess Charlotte was born.  Guess what dominated the British news that day?  Sort of like Alduous Huxley and C.S. Lewis both dying the day JFK was assassinated.  

I've always had Ruth Rendell on my "to read someday" list.  Did anyone else read Sara Woods' Antony Maitland series?  My early introduction to the British mystery, along with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, since I think the small town library I practically lived at when I was a kid always got the new Sara Woods book. I assume whoever was in charge of purchasing was a Woods fan, since it always seemed there was one on the new book shelf.  Another author I would recommend is John Harvey, especially the Charlie Resnick series.  

I'm currently reading Cruel Acts by Jane Casey.  This is her 8th book in her DC Maeve Kerrigan series, which I really enjoy.

[Black Knight]

I tended to prefer the books Rendell wrote as Barbara Vine to the ones she wrote under her own name.

I just finished the 12th October Daye book by Seanan McGuire, Night and Silence. I continue to be impressed with the depth of the world-building; McGuire is still making major planned revelations and paying off plotlines that have been in the works over multiple books. And that's not slowing down anytime soon, since the 13th book that's due out shortly will apparently focus on a Luidaeg storyline that's been teased for quite a few books.

[Jeeves]

I got pulled into Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series over the Labor Day Weekend. Thanks to a couple of $1.99 Kindle book deals, and the availability of some of the books as e-books from the public library, I plowed through the first four books. I still have the rest on the TBR list. Because some of those are checked out to me as ebooks I'll have to read them soon or find them later. There are so many quirky things about Lady Jane and most of the rest of the regular characters, that I expected to find the first book just too precious to like. But, I liked it a lot, and, as noted, intend to keep reading the series, to the end if the next books are as good as the earlier ones. Raybourn is now writing the Veronica Speedwell series, and there was a $.99 or $1.99 Kindle sale on the first book in that series, so I got it and plan to read it after I finish the Lady Jane list.

Yesterday afternoon I did my weekly public library stop, returning items and picking up my reserved things that have arrived. I got home from errands, picked up The Mercy of the Sky - and pretty much literally couldn't put it down until I finished it, at bedtime.  It's about the May 20, 2013 EF5 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma. I thought the content about the OKC TV meteorologists should have been better edited because it went on and on, but the book was nevertheless a four-star read, maybe 4.5 out of five. 

[DearEvette]

4 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I got pulled into Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series over the Labor Day Weekend.

Heh.  the first book in the series, Silent in The Grave has a great opening line. One of my favorites.  Also I love Lady Julia's family.

Edited September 8, 2019 by DearEvette

[BlackberryJam]

The Lady Julia series falls off and the latest was kind of painful.

Spoiler

Wooops again, wrong series name.

Edited September 8, 2019 by BlackberryJam
Woops, typed the wrong series name.

[catlover79]

[helenamonster]

Just finished: Someone We Know by Shari Lapena. I liked it better than Lapena's other books, though it still had some issues. For a bit the ending felt like it was going in her usual direction (random culprit with no prior clues for a reader to build upon) but fortunately that was a red herring and the actual culprit made a little more sense. However, the only basis of Raleigh hacking into his neighbors' computers felt so pointless.

Spoiler

You'd think the big thing with that would be the fact that his fingerprints were all over the Pierces' house, but it was barely even a blip on the radar. All it did was lead to him revealing he saw the burner phone, but the police already knew about the burner phone.

The only other thing his snooping did was bring Carmine into the story, but she offers absolutely nothing. She doesn't care at all about Amanda's murder, she just wants to find out who broke into her house. Glenda's justification for killing her, that she seemed to suspect Adam had killed Amanda, was never supported with any evidence. There was potential to have this periphery character who was concerned with her own problems kind of stumble onto the answer to the murder, but that's not what happened.

Also, Lapena writes about "hacking" the way '90s/'00s movie screenwriters used to--lots of jargon about something she clearly knows nothing about. Absolutely nothing made sense about Raleigh breaking into other people's homes simply to use their computers and send prank emails. I could get it if he was stealing stuff, or even just breaking in for the thrill, like a Manson Family creepy crawl. But real hackers do their hacking from their own home. It takes much less skill to get into somebody's account on their own computer. Dumb.

Also, there were a couple instances where it felt like Lapena was trying to make some kind of ~*statement*~ about today's fraught political and social climate, but it had absolutely nothing to do with anything.

Next up: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

[Spartan Girl]

Finally got around to reading The Nickel Boys. I must admit I was shocked when it turned out that

Elwood was murdererd when trying to escape Nickel and the adult "Elwood" was his friend Turner who had escaped

. Good book but tough to read.

[Mindthinkr]

I just finished South of Broad by Pat Conroy. (I apologize for not being able to bold the title, but every time I try to use anything in that upper bar it takes me back to a PTV homepage and I have to start all over). It was good and had twists right up until the end. It did give me bad nightmares for two nights after I finished it. 

[surreysmum]

Well, not "currently reading" exactly, but I'm #927 for 100 copies of The Testaments at my library, so sometime in the next 6 months or so...  I must admit I was wavering about putting it on hold - I felt that The Handmaid's Tale was a very good book, but too depressing to re-read. So I was pleased to see in recent reviews that it is lighter and more hopeful, and a real page-turner. 

[GaT]

I'm currently reading Some Die Eloquent  by Catherine AIrd. I decided to reread some of my Catherine AIrd books (just read The Stately Home Murder) & I'm enjoying them again.

[Gemma Violet]

I just discovered this thread, so I have several pages to catch up.

I had gotten away from reading the last few years because I simply couldn't read without eye strain.  That all changed when I finally bought a back-lit Kindle late last year.  Why did I wait so long?

I prefer non-fiction, so in the past few months, I've read Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, Educated by Tara Westover, and Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin.  I just finished The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris.  It's the story of Joseph Lister and how he transformed surgical techniques.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend an author who writes historical books that are reader friendly?  I want to brush up on my history, especially world history.  Doris Kearns Goodwin is a great writer, but Leadership was a bit of a strain to get through for me, sort of like looking at your watch during a movie.  I want something that's a page-turner.  I'm especially interested in the history of Great Britain and France, but any recommendations will do. 

Edited September 17, 2019 by Gemma Violet

[jenh526]

I ride a train to and from work everyday, so have been reading quite a bit to pass the time. I love Maureen Corrigan’s taste in books so will typically try to seek out books she recommends. So in the past few months I’ve read:

Educated by Tara Westover. She’s a very talented writer and I found the story compelling. Some parts were difficult to read but I thought she related her story in a fair and gracious manner, while still conveying the conflicted feelings of having love for someone who has hurt you.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. I’m not much of a history buff and someone had given me this book, so it sat on the shelf for a while. But oh my gosh was this an interesting and devastating story. I couldn’t wait to get on the train everyday to read it. A quick read, and definitely something I never learned about in  school history class. Was more like a true crime novel I thought, which is maybe why it captivated my attention.

The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott. This was a Maureen Corrigan recommended book. I was partly interested in this novel because I grew up Catholic and my mom had been a nun. I didn’t think it was great. For some reason I couldn’t really get into it, and it was a bit of a slog for me to get through. But I did enjoy learning a bit more about convent life.

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. Short novel, but I really enjoyed it. A good, creepy story fleshed out by well-researched history of the Ancient Britons.

Hunger by Roxane Gay. There were parts of this memoir that I identified with. I also felt at times like she was going too far down the self-pity path. Writing seemed kind of uneven to me, but I wasn’t bored by it. A review I read described her prose as “lethargic” and I think I agree with that assessment.

Currently reading The Body in Question by Jill Ciment. Another Maureen Corrigan recommendation. This is one of those rare novels that I wish would go on forever. Spare writing style. Two stories are interwoven and both of them are intriguing. The characters are well-developed and the story keeps a good pace. It’s like a good indie movie. My favorite so far, although I think it’s going to end in heartbreak. We’ll see.

[Hanahope]

So since it was free, I borrowed Fire and Blood by George RR Martin on my kindle (via my libary app).  I can't believe he gave up time to finish GoT for this drek.  Talk about slow and here's a whole bunch of names of people you couldn't care less about.  I knew it was more 'history book like', but this was almost worse because you got snippets of story which included so many people that you just lot track as to who was really important.  

I'm about half-way through Bad Blood, my next borrowed e-book.  Its so fasinating how Elizabeth Holmes got away with the crap she did.  I get that she talked really good (not to mention looked pretty), but how companies just threw millions at her even when she kept missing deadline after deadline, and never followed up on promises to actually show the blood analyzing devices.  And how the people in charge of the companies that threw the money never listened to their scientists, consultants and lawyers that were telling them to slow the fuck down.  How anyone believed the bullshit that hundreds of tests could be performed on such minute amounts of blood is simply astounding.  And yet, these idiots, investing in clouds, get these huge tax breaks and just write it all off as a loss, who cares?

[truthaboutluv]

On 6/7/2019 at 5:15 PM, helenamonster said:

Just finished: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth. This has been happening to me a lot lately--and is strange, because I love mysteries--but this is yet another book where the emotional journey makes for a much stronger plot than trying to solve a murder, which eventually feels shoehorned in despite being the focal point of the book.

Just finished this book and I have to say I agree with this assessment. Halfway through the book I almost forgot that there was a murder to solve because I was so caught up in the dynamics of Lucy and Diana's relationship. That said, a little past the half-way point I did figure out the mystery because it was pretty obvious. 

I have to say that while I could understand why Diana would seem unlikable and some stuff she did was pretty dickish (turning off the baby monitor was just out of line), as a somewhat distant person myself, who has often been misread as unfriendly, I found myself kind of liking and really getting her.

And to be honest, I found those two children annoying as fuck (well Ollie wasn't that bad, though the business decision was like really dude, you didn't see how that would go) and Lucy was kind of annoyingly needy at times. And yes I know she lost her mother very young and so that played a part but yeah, in the first chapters of the book I found myself rolling my eyes at her a lot. 

Edited September 17, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[BlackberryJam]

On 8/30/2019 at 8:29 AM, Haleth said:

I read your review with interest because I also like biographies about strong women rulers.  Too bad this one didn't hold your interest.  I just checked my library and the only Isabella bio they have is by Allison Weir.  Her biographies of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Elizabeth Tudor were interesting so I think I'll pick it up.

MeloraH, I agree about Blood Sisters.  Very good.  Oh, those mothers all pushing for their sons to be king!

So...I started this one, Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine and I'm probably 20 minutes into the audiobook and the entire focus seems to be how horny Eleanor is and how she wants to have sex with her ex lover's son and how she first had an orgasm and I stopped at her masturbating. I like a good historical novel and I'm all for portraying women as sex positive, but it's not quite what I was looking for and wouldn't call it a biography. 

[Haleth]

Blackberry, the book I was referring to is a biography, not a novel.  This one.

[BlackberryJam]

4 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Blackberry, the book I was referring to is a biography, not a novel.  This one.

WHEW! I was pretty confused. Thank you so much. 

Same author and subject. 

Captive Queen

So she writes a biography and then a historical novel once she's done the research? Nice way to double down on your audience.

Edited September 17, 2019 by BlackberryJam
Link

[GaT]

I'm reading The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire, #13 in the October Daye series.

[Black Knight]

1 minute ago, GaT said:

I'm reading The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire, #13 in the October Daye series.

And I have to wait until it's released in a year's time in paperback. I'm still mad that after so many books released straight to paperback they suddenly switched that series to hardcover-first release. But I'm very much looking forward to a Luidaeg-heavy book.

[bybrandy]

I'm reading The Secrets We Kept and The Vagina Bible.

[GaT]

48 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

And I have to wait until it's released in a year's time in paperback. I'm still mad that after so many books released straight to paperback they suddenly switched that series to hardcover-first release. But I'm very much looking forward to a Luidaeg-heavy book.

I was wondering about why it was in HB. I'm a Barnes & Noble member, so I usually buy my books there with Amazon as a backup. Both places had the book up for $18.00 on pre order, but I was wanted to wait for a 20% coupon from B&N (which aren't good on pre orders) so I didn't order it. Release day comes, still no coupon from B&N, but I figured I would just wait. Next time I check, the book is $22.00 in both places, it went up in price after it was released! Then it went up again, currently Amazon $23.40, & B&N is $24.10, what is going on? Since when do book prices go up after they're released? I really wanted the book & luckily I had enough for a $10.00 gift certificate in my Honey account, so I used it to buy the book on Amazon, but the whole thing pissed me off. It better be worth it.

[dubbel zout]

11 hours ago, Black Knight said:

I'm still mad that after so many books released straight to paperback they suddenly switched that series to hardcover-first release.

Hardcovers make more money for the publisher, especially if the book is originally published as a trade paperback. It can also be a prestige thing for the author to have a HB first.

[Black Knight]

Yes, since Seanan McGuire has become a significant name in the field, it was maybe 4-5 years ago that all her books, including her novellas, started getting HC-first releases except those in her long-running October Daye and Incryptid series. The latter is still getting PB-only releases, but eventually they switched over October Daye as of the 11th book. I guess since it is her best-known one they decided to start getting the sweet sweet HC money for those too.

I understand it, but it still makes me mad since it means I'm now a year behind on the October Daye series. I hate having a series I collect being a mix of PBs and HCs because then I can't have them grouped neatly together on my shelves (the need to maximize the space I have means HCs and PBs have their own areas). And this is one series I really want all together.

[GaT]

I just realized that the next Rivers of London book by Ben Aaronovitch is a HB & not a PB like the others. Grrrrrr.

[Anduin]

9 minutes ago, GaT said:

I just realized that the next Rivers of London book by Ben Aaronovitch is a HB & not a PB like the others. Grrrrrr.

Nooooooo!

[festivus]

I just read the cutest graphic novel by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks called Pumpkinheads. I loved the illustrations. I also re-read Carry On in anticipation of the new one Wayward Son coming out next week. All I could remember is that Simon 

Spoiler

ends up with wings and a tail at the end.

Now I'm about to start Mr. Know it All by John Waters. I buy every single thing he puts out. Love him.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, festivus said:

Now I'm about to start Mr. Know it All by John Waters. I buy every single thing he puts out. Love him.

I love him, too! He's very a thoughtful writer.

[festivus]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I love him, too! He's very a thoughtful writer.

He just tells it like it is and that's my favorite kind of person. I'm also a big fan of dark humor and trashy kitsch.

I'm starting the 5th chapter right now and I've already laughed so much. I love his love for the weirdos of the world and his forgiveness for people. I am the same way.

[proserpina65]

On ‎08‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 10:47 AM, BlackberryJam said:

the Inquisition (which, according to Downey, totally wasn't as horrible as people would think, wasn't at ALL Isabella's fault, and totally didn't kill a lot of people.)

Really?  Ugh.

[proserpina65]

On ‎08‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 11:57 AM, Haleth said:

Most of them were named Matilda. It gets very confusing.  

At least Henry the 1st's daughter, and rival of Stephen of Blois, was nicknamed the Empress Maud.  One less Matilda.

[proserpina65]

On ‎09‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 8:13 PM, Black Knight said:

I tended to prefer the books Rendell wrote as Barbara Vine to the ones she wrote under her own name.

I do as well.

[Haleth]

19 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

At least Henry the 1st's daughter, and rival of Stephen of Blois, was nicknamed the Empress Maud.  One less Matilda.

Thank goodness for the nickname or she would have been one more Matilda. 

And continuing the confusion I picked up Weir’s “Queen Isabella” thinking it was about the Spanish Isabella. Nope. It’s Isabella (who was French), wife of Edward II. Interesting story though. I remember them from Braveheart. 😄

Edited September 20, 2019 by Haleth

[Danny Franks]

I just started Space Opera by Catherynne Valente, and I'm not sure what I make of it yet. It's got some funny lines, and there's a lot of imagination and creativity, but I can't shake the description someone gave that it's "overwritten". That's definitely the feeling I get every time she uses four verbs and seven adjectives in one sentence.

[Hanahope]

Currently reading the 3rd book by Brian David Bruns in his Cruise Confidential series (4 books total).  I read the first two several years ago, and after going on my cruise over the summer, I thought to look up if he'd written the last 2 books, which he had, so I bought on kindle.  They are all a very fun and informative read.

Brian writes about his experience working on cruise ships.  As an American, he is one of the very few to work on the ships, especially his initial assignment as a waiter.  Even most of the 'upper deck' crew, which may be more white, are nearly always from other countries (a lot of eastern europe).  This is because the crew work 7 days a week for usually 6-8 months at a time, and very long hours, 14-16 hours a day is not unusual for waiters, and sometimes even more.  This long/hard work, accompanied by relatively low wages is why americans don't take these jobs (and why Brian faced a lot of obstacles - oh no, he was discriminated against!).  The majority of the crews' money comes from tips, which these days are usually automatically added to the passengers' bills and pooled among many workers.  

I got into an argument with a poster on a travel forum site over the tips.  he was bitching about how we shouldn't have to make up for the low wages and it was exploiting the workers.  I pointed out that these workers may be paid low wages in our opinion, but its usually a lot more than they could make in their home countries (mostly central/south america, east asia).  and since the cruise ships fly under non-american flags, there's nothing we can do to improve their wages except for tip, and if you don't like it, don't cruise.

anyway, the books are an interesting read.  The first is called Cruise Confidential.

[truthaboutluv]

Currently reading Legend by Marie Lu and uh yeah, it's a bit slow going, which is a surprise to me since it's apparently such a huge YA hit. But so far, those first few chapters are just not inspiring me to want to devour the book in one sitting. In fact I keep reading one chapter and putting it down for a day or two. 

[Crs97]

Just finished The Only Woman in the Room, historical fiction based on the life of Hedy Lamarr.  Very enjoyable, and she was amazing!  Self-taught inventor whose creations still influence us today.  Now I need to track down some of her films.

[Black Knight]

1 hour ago, truthaboutluv said:

Currently reading Legend by Marie Lu and uh yeah, it's a bit slow going, which is a surprise to me since it's apparently such a huge YA hit. But so far, those first few chapters are just not inspiring me to want to devour the book in one sitting. In fact I keep reading one chapter and putting it down for a day or two. 

Yeah, I read the trilogy a couple years ago, but only because I already had all three books and YA's a fast read.

There's a new installment out now, and I have no interest in reading it.

Currently I am reading Gretchen McNeil's #murdertrending. This is after I bought and read her #murderfunding a couple of weeks ago, realizing a bit too late into the book that it was actually a sequel instead of a standalone. I was too caught up in the story by then to want to stop, and the author did a good job filling in enough backstory that I wasn't lost. Now I'm getting to the first book.

[peacheslatour]

22 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Just finished The Only Woman in the Room, historical fiction based on the life of Hedy Lamarr.  Very enjoyable, and she was amazing!  Self-taught inventor whose creations still influence us today.  Now I need to track down some of her films.

Did you ever see her in  Ecstasy? First known depiction of a woman having an orgasm ever filmed.

[Black Knight]

36 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Did you ever see her in  Ecstasy? First known depiction of a woman having an orgasm ever filmed.

I saw that film years ago at a film festival. It's quite a memorable scene, and not because it's graphic - it was in 1933, after all.

[Crs97]

The movie is discussed in the novel, and I have read about it. She said they stick her with a pin to get that reaction.  You can find it on YouTube because I searched for it to see the scandal.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

I saw that film years ago at a film festival. It's quite a memorable scene, and not because it's graphic - it was in 1933, after all.

Too bad that scene wasn't Pre-Code.