When you're not reading a mystery...

[Thomas]

I enjoyed The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan
I rated it 4 stars. It is historical fiction, set in Germany, 1938-39.
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Richard]

Tim Kreider, “We Learn Nothing,” essays that are both funny and deep like why do we fall in love with people we don’t like?

Don Winslow, “Power of the Dog.” NOT the Annie Proulx book made into the movie. Multi-layered stories (in one novel) about the tragedy of what the US hunger for illegal drugs has done to a once-wonderful country (Mexico).

Collections of 1940s-1950s radio dramas— especially Adventures of Philip Marlowe (based on Chandler’s sleuth), captures (or steals) a lot of Chandler’s descriptions and such; and a real discovery, “Jeff Regan, Investigator,” starring a pre-Dragnet Jack Webb as a low-rent sleuth who has the funniest, snarkiest dialogue I’ve ever heard.

[Thomas]

I read A Judge's Odyssey: From Vermont to Russia, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, Then on to War Crimes and Organ Trafficking in Kosovo by Dean B. Pineles
It is an autobiography of a lawyer who was a Vermont judge for 21 years and then went on to become a legal advisor and Judge in several different countries. I enjoyed it and rate it 4.5 stars rounded down.

[Thomas]

Both my wife and I read and enjoyed The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
It is historical fiction, set in WWII Britain. A group of women start a sewing group to mend a wedding dress, which grows into a group lending wedding dresses to prospective brides.
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Rare Encounter by J.K. Hall It is a story of 2 disparate men who meet on a troop ship in WWII. They form a bond. Twenty years later, 1 of the 2 is a professor at a prestigious college. The Vietnam war brings back memories. He decides to talk to his students about the morality of war. My 4.5 star review, rounded up: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen I enjoyed it and recommend it to historical fiction fans. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen I enjoyed it and recommend it to historical fiction fans. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Bride of Almond Tree by Robert Hillman I enjoyed it and recommend it to literary fiction fans. It is a story of love, loneliness and hardship.
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I included in my review a link to my review of his previous book, both stand alones.

[Thomas]

I read The Many Daughters of Afong Moy I found it difficult to follow and rate it 3.5 stars rounded down. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Has Anyone Seen My Toes? by Christopher Buckley I have read 3 previous books by this author and enjoyed them. But this book did not work for me. The humor fell flat. My 2 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
It is not a mystery or thriller, but a book of survival, sadness and hope.
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the Holocaust.

[Thomas]

I read Sharpe's Assassin by Bernard Cornwell It is a historical fiction thriller and I rate it 4.5 stars rounded down. I strongly recommend this series to historical fiction fans. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Punishment of a Hunter by Yulia Yakovleva It is set in 1930 Leningrad, Russia. A determined police detective sets out to solve seemingly unrelated murders. He angers important people. I recommend it to mystery fans. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Pamela]

I'm reading something else! Don't know if I have replied to this thread before but these days I am expanding my reading horizons quite often. I'm currently reading Pied Piper by Nevil Shute (1899-1960) about an elderly Englishman who finds himself trying to get back to his country and ends up rescuing seven children during the Nazi invasion in France.

[Thomas]

I read Sharpe's Christmas: Two Short Stories by [author:Bernard Cornwell|12542 These 2 short stories were written at the request of a British newspaper. Both take place on Christmas Eve. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris I enjoyed it and recommend it to historical fiction mystery fans. This is book 17 and the series works better if read in order. My review 4.5 stars https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Lipstick Bureau by Michelle Gable It is a pleasant historical fiction book set in WWII Rome. The OSS has an office of Morale Operations, tasked with distributing black propaganda in occupied Europe. This book is loosely based on a real person who worked in that office. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read a disappointing historical fiction book, which I rated 2.5 stars rounded up The Battle of Wagram by Gilles Lapouge My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Helen]

I read American and English history, especially biographies. Just read and at night I read a few more pages of , taking my time, because I savor Ron Chernow's work.

[Thomas]

I read The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff It is literary fiction set in a small village in India.

It is both funny and sad as it depicts women confronting domestic abuse and more. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read an excellent historical fiction book The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson I rated it 4.5 stars rounded up.
It is set in rural Appalachian 1950s Kentucky.
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sam]

I'm a history buff, currently working my way through The Era of Good Feelings, by George Dangerfield, an account of the period from the War of 1812 to the election of Andrew Jackson. The book won a Pulitzer in 1953. I'd previously read Dangerfield's The Strange Death of Liberal England and found it interesting. Dangerfield wrote in an elaborate, eloquent style, somewhat dated now, which requires close attention. Not an easy read. But very witty, and full of interesting detail.

[Thomas]

I went on a Caribbean cruise with very poor wifi. I read 3 kindle books: The first 2 are NetGalley eARCs
Historical fiction set during the Sri Lankan civil war, Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan I enjoyed it and recommend it. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
UK spy thriller The Whispering Dead I rate it 4 stars. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book 17 in the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency cozy mystery series. Precious and Grace by Alexander McCall Smith It is a pleasant, easy read without violence. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Both my wife and I enjoy this series. This was a library ebook, through the Libby app.

[Thomas]

I read a historical fiction book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kirsten]

I recently finished a romance called Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson. Great fun!!

[Thomas]

Not a thriller or mystery, but a book about current affairs in the US.
Responding to the Right: Brief Replies to 25 Conservative Arguments by Nathan J. Robinson
My review, 3.5 stars rounded up, with a personal note at the end
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Taz]

Am re-reading Ben Aaronovitch at the moment. I have known his son for years, but haven't seen Ben in person in ages, so when he was at the Discworld Convention in August I thought I would do a full re-read (shorts and comics too), after he was gushing about his plans for his future stories.

Also decided to finally read the Ann Cleeves books after watching Vera and Shetland for years and 'meaning to get around to them' for years.

[Sue]

I have enjoyed Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series though I’m not up to date on it. I love finding books that mix the real with paranormal and mythical and he then turns them into mysteries.

[Thomas]

I read The Greatest Polar Expedition of All Time: The Arctic Mission to the Epicenter of Climate Change by Markus Rex
It is not a mystery/ thriller book, but a book of science. If you have ever wondered how scientists come up with climate change stats, then this book is for you. My 4.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jackie]

I'm currently re-reading Envious Casca and just loving it.

[Thomas]

Galowa wrote: "Thomas wrote: "I read The Greatest Polar Expedition of All Time: The Arctic Mission to the Epicenter of Climate Change by Markus Rex
It is not a mystery/ thriller b..."

Sounds interesting.

[Dorothy]

Sue wrote: "I have enjoyed Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series though I’m not up to date on it. I love finding books that mix the real with paranormal and mythical and he then turns them into mysteries."

Me too!

[Thomas]

I read A Deceptive Devotion by Iona Whishaw
It is a historical fiction mystery, set in 1947 rural British Columbia, Canada. It is book 6 in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. I rate it a solid 4 stars. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Duck for Cover & Other Tales by Barbara Venkataraman It is literary fiction. This book of short stories can be read in an afternoon. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kirsten]

Just started a romance The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

[Dorothy]

I'd like to know if anyone will be making a New Year Resolution concerning books. Mine is more like a commandment: "Thou shalt not take books out of the library, even if they have 5* reviews on GR, when there are equally inviting books sitting on Mt TBR."

[Miriam]

@ Dorothy:

Oh, Yes! Each month I try to put a limit to my need to buy new books. This month I took the excuse that it was Christmas time and I bought a lot of books. I'll try to do better in January, lol!

[Thomas]

I read The Enchanted Suitcase by Helga Warren It is a memoir by a German soldier, assembled posthumously by his daughter. M y 3.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Maurice]

I'm currently reading The Hours by Michael Cunningham. It was published in the US in 1998, and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It follows the interior (and exterior) lives of three different women from three different periods: a fictitious Los Angeles housewife named Laura Brown (1949), a fictitious socially-prominent New Yorker named Clarissa Vaughan ("end of the twentieth century"), and the writer Virginia Woolf (1923). I decided to read the Cunningham book because a few week ago I saw the in-cinema broadcast of the Met's new opera based on it, and found it (the opera) quite moving. Such a strong opera, I thought, must owe its strength at least in part to what must be a strong novel. So far, that's being borne out.

[Helen]

I'm currently reading Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries (Volume 1): 1918-38. It's a "doorstop" book, almost 1,000 pages and covers the first 30 years of his life (there are two more books). Henry "Chips" Channon was born in America, moved to England early, hated everything American, and not much that was not considered "Upper Class Britain." It's a fascinating story of how the Upper Class lived in the 20's and 30's. Believe you me, it was endless parties. I'm just getting to the part of "The Crisis" -- the abdication of Edward VIII. "Chips" is in a tizzy LOL.

[Thomas]

I read Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu It is literary fiction, a story of a young woman who comes from Kenya, Africa to study at a US University. I enjoyed it and recommend it. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Under the Naga Tail: A True Story of Survival, Bravery, and Escape from the Cambodian Genocide by Mae Bunseng Taing
It is an inspiring story of survival during the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer rouge. My 5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Naomi's Gift by Martha Hall Kelly It is historical fiction and I recommend it to fans of the author and historical fiction. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Maurice]

I'm currently reading Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye, a novel that follows a successful visual artist from her childhood to adulthood, including the most gripping and disturbing depiction of bullying among young girls that one could ever not want to see. It was her first novel after The Handmaid's Tale, and is compelling, insightful, yet also entertaining.

[Thomas]

I read The Postcard by Anne Berest It is historical fiction, set in France. Originally published in French, now available in English. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Holocaust and how it affected France.
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jill H.]

History and mystery! My main reads are usually WWI/WWII books and am currently reading The Commanders: The Leadership Journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel by Lloyd Clark. I keep my mystery books for bedtime reading.

[Tiziana]

I love WWII novels and stories and I'm reading "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" by Jennifer RyanThe Chilbury Ladies' Choir,
I'm about halfway through the book and I'm really enjoying it.

I love the characters perfectly described in their way of being and how they relate to the people and events around them.
While there are secrets to uncover and some drama, the read is really smooth and light.

Ther's no third narrator, but it is the characters themselves who are telling us the story through diary pages and letters.

I feel sure I will read soon other novels by this author, it's the first time I'm reading something by her and this is a genre that I usually read only occasionally (let's say every 3 or 4 months to change from the usual mystery), but I'm really thrilled about her writing.

My mother is reading this novel at the same time as me and she likes it too.

( Note : I'm from Italy, so please be lenient with my English.
A friendly thank you )

[Thomas]

Tiziana wrote: "I love WWII novels and stories and I'm reading "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" by Jennifer RyanThe Chilbury Ladies' Choir,
I'm about halfway through the book and I'm really enjoying it..."

Your English is fine and certainly better than my limited Italian. My wife and I both enjoyed Chilbury Ladies Choir..

[Jackie]

Tizianna, your English is very good and thank you for recommending this book, it looks like something I will enjoy.

[Tiziana]

Jackie wrote: "Tizianna, your English is very good and thank you for recommending this book, it looks like something I will enjoy."

Hi Jackie, you're very kind, thank you so much.
I hope you'll have the chance to read it :-) Have a happy Sunday !