Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
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Ije the Devourer of Books
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Jun 25, 2017 01:16AM
I have read two books this year that I have really enjoyed. Courting Greta and Surviving Cyril are romance stories but not the usual kind of romance. Courting Greta is told from the man's perspective (Samuel) who has spina bifida who meets and falls in love with Greta who is a loner and school coach. This is the first book in the series. The second is about Robin who loses her soldier husband in Afghanistan and then befriends her husband's rather odd, obese friend Cyril. There are lots of background issues in both stories. I really like the way the author has taken very unlikely people who are flawed and created stories of romance from them. I found both books to be really gripping as well as amusing with a great plot and no cut and paste sex scenes which you usually find in romances. Really great books if you want a good, realistic and very different kind of romance.
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I'm currently reading Kith and Kin by Kris Ripper. If you like a very well written book about family in all its forms, run and get it! Really, it is very good.
Read P.S. I Spook You by new-to-me author S.E. Harmon. I really enjoyed it. There's mystery and humor and a lovely romance; light and fun.
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Thank you, Jordan, for setting up the poll!
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Thank you, Jordan, for setting up the poll!"
You're welcome!
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I decided to make myself anticipate it even more by finishing the nonfiction book I'm currently reading first before I dive into it. But I can't wait!
Jordan wrote: "Skin After Skin came out yesterday! I decided to make myself anticipate it even more by finishing the nonfiction book I'm currently reading first before I dive into it. But I can'..."
I started right away. Heck with anticipation, LOL.
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I decided to make myself anticipate it even more by finishing the nonfiction book I'm currently reading first before I dive into it. But I can'..."
Finished it this afternoon. Stayed up late last night. :)
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These are very enjoyable classic 1940s mysteries. By this point in the series Crane is adding in a lot of local color, which adds so much.
It's a little wearying how Jean Abbott is relegated consistently to the adoring and ditzy Watson role, but this is unfortunately standard procedure for husband and wife sleuth teams of the era (it's even worse in films of the era).
Post about the new series by K.J. Charles:http://kjcharleswriter.com/spectred-i...
and the first book
is already there for preorder (publication date 3rd August): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B073CZ5VZ7/
Did you know that Josh will publish - probably in autumn - a sequel to The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks? I just found out.It is called
. Here the blurb:Now living in Los Angeles with former navy SEAL Nick Reno, artist Perry Foster comes to the rescue of elderly and eccentric Horace Daly, the legendary film star of such horror classics as ‘Why Won't You Die, My Darling?’
Horace owns the famous, but now run-down, Hollywood hotel Angels Rest, rumored to be haunted. But as far as Perry can tell, the scariest thing about Angels Rest is the cast of crazy tenants--one of whom seems determined to bring down the final curtain on Horace--and anyone else who gets in the way.
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Here are my notes on the first book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Karen wrote: "I'm reading the BJ Vinson series, starring a gay PI based in Albuquerque whose cases take him all around New Mexico. I've just finished the first book, The Zozobra Incident, and sta..."I'll have to get that. I love books about NM. Even though I was born here and lived here most of my life, I only heard about Zozobra a couple of years ago.
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Interesting insights, Josh.
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Added this into my to-read list. Thank you for pointing it out, Karen!
Karen wrote: "I'm reading the BJ Vinson series, starring a gay PI based in Albuquerque whose cases take him all around New Mexico. I've just finished the first book, The Zozobra Incident, and sta..."Sounds great! Added to tbr list. I'm reading now the first Robert Galbraith mystery and that's almost finished, so i'll try this one next. Thanks for the rec!
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It is called [bookcover:The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out|337989..."
I keep forgetting what I've announced and what is still simmering in the back of my brain. :-)
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I'll have to take a look and see if it's something the SO might want for the Thrilling Detective Website.
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It is called [bookcover:The Ghost Had an Earl..."
LOL
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This IS a coincidence. One of the Frances Crane's was set in NM as well. :-D
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My exact thought.
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I remember seeing that, maybe back when you first posted about the Mr. and Mrs. Murder project. I even looked it up, then back-burnered it, then forgot. Like Loretta, I enjoy New Mexico-based mysteries. (Blood Heat is another one.) So I decided to order it today. : )
Jordan wrote: "I think it's safe to announce our July BOM: His Quiet Agent"Oh cool. It's a lovely book. :)
Skin after Skin by Jordan Castillo Price was good! No mystery, limited conspiracy, and I thought less intense personal history than in Psycops. Centers on personal growth, with Price's clever funny take on things. Loved all the guest appearances of familiar Psycop characters. The story focuses on Crash, a side character in the Psycops books. Clarifies who he is, where he came from, and what he longs for.
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I finally started this yesterday. It's fascinating to see him as he was before Psycop!
I've been doing a lot of rereading these first days of my vacation. Lot of sleeping as well and lazying around which is quite marvellous if I can ignore the laundry mountain for few more days. Somehow I'm in the mood for comfort rereading. I of course did relistening of Holmes and Moriarity. The read my ultimate comfort read Second Hand which is probably my ultimate go to comfort read. I don't even know how often I've read it but there's just something so nice and lovely and genuine about this story that hits me in the heart. Then I've started rereading both Shamwell series ( Caught! ) and the Bad Company series ( Bad Company ). It's quite lovely. I did do a first time read of a book by once a favorite author but unfortunately that author has gone the easy way of formulatic by the number story telling and become somewhat of a recycling author using her characters and plots again and again that around mid book I just got fed up and skimmed the rest. Pity because the story started out good. Until the cliches took over. So I'm definitely back to rereading. Sometimes you just need the comfort of visiting old friends :-)
Ame wrote: "I've been doing a lot of rereading these first days of my vacation. Lot of sleeping as well and lazying around which is quite marvellous if I can ignore the laundry mountain for few more days. Some..."The Shamwell series is fun. And Kit is my favorite character to relisten to. It always surprises me anew just how funny and sweet he is, and then it's delightful all over again :-)
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Yes, but they go back periodically -- The Amethyst Spectacles is also set in Taos, and I'm anticipating further adventures there as Jean still owns her little house at this point in the series.
Last night I jumped over to Richard Powell's Andy and Arab series, starting with
. Andy is an antiques dealer and Arab (short for Arabella) is his somewhat impetuous and blue-blooded wife. So far she doesn't seem to have a profession, which is the norm for this era of fiction.Arab seems more zany than ditzy, which is refreshing. Also she's quite the sportswoman, which is a novelty in these husband-wife sleuthing teams.
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Arab seems more zany than ditzy, which is refreshing. Also she's quite the sportswoman, which is a novelty in these husband-wife sleuthing teams."
After reading these observations I'm really looking forward to the time when Mr. and Mrs. Murder comes out. I'm enjoying these insights enormously.
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Yes, but they go back periodically -- The Amethyst Spectacles is also set in Taos, and..."
I find it interesting that her name is shortened to "Arab". It's pretty, but I first thought it was a guy. :-)
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Yes, but they go back periodically -- The Amethyst Spectacles is also set in Taos, and..."
Yeah, I noticed The Amethyst Spectacles after posting because the book cover looked like New Mexico. :)
I see that some (maybe all) of the Arab and Andy books are available as Kindle ebooks (perhaps other formats as well).
Mymymble wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I think it's safe to announce our July BOM: His Quiet Agent"Whooo! Thank you, Jordan. And thanks Alison for reccing it!"
You're very welcome. I am glad you people like it too! I am fond of it. It was totally a spur of the moment buy, so I'm really happy it worked out so well. :)
Finished Robert Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling mystery. I really enjoyed it, so i'm starting the second one. The only thing that detracted from the enjoyment was the head-hopping. I found it really distracting, especially at the beginning. It sort of comes and goes, and at least it's only when the two main characters have a scene together, which was not often. But overall it's great.Also read Anything But Real by Alex West. Interesting read. It's supposed to be romantic comedy, but it turned out to be angsty romantic. The writing style is...different, and at times i couldn't decide if the story and the writing are really good different or maybe not. Interesting and promising, i'd say.
I finally found a new book I liked. Loved even. It came up in my recommendation on Amazon so I read the sample, liked it so much that I bought the book and binge read it into the night. It's a YA book and it's just lovely, sweet, fluffy and yet well written. I recommend it to anyone and hope the author writes more of MM YA, she's until now only written FM YA but she is talented and in my opinion writes quite nicely about teenager and young people.
The story is Riding with Brighton
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Antonella wrote: "Did you know that Josh will publish - probably in autumn - a sequel to The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks? I just found out.It is called [bookcover:The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out|337989..."
Oh yay!
I read Static by LA Witt. It was an interesting plot. It is about Alex who is a shifter. In this case a shifter is one who can shift between genders at will. An incident causes Alex to be stuck in his male form. His (her) heterosexual boyfriend had no clue Alex was a shifter. It was very interesting story of love is love and enlightening story of being genderqueer.
The third book by Cat Sebastian is out. I don't know about this but I liked very much the other two books (The Soldier's Scoundrel and The Lawrence Browne Affair).
, $ 3.48 onhttps://www.amazon.com/Ruin-Rake-Cat-...
Antonella wrote: "The third book by Cat Sebastian is out. I don't know about this but I liked very much the other two books (The Soldier's Scoundrel and The Lawrence Browne Affair)...."
Ah, I had not realised it was out yet. Thanks. I will buy it, as I also really enjoyed the first two. Also, my Amazon says it's USD 2.99, even less.
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I HAVE COME TO HATE THE CHARACTER OF ARAB.
She's the first of the missuses in these sleuthing teams that I actively detest. Of course, it's only the first book, so that could easily change -- and part of it is simply the difficulty of writing comedy. She's the catalyst for many of the nutty things that happen to them, but...
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Yes, but they go back periodically -- The Amethyst Spectacles is also set..."
I think that's actually intentional because she's supposed to be independent and sporty and her own woman. The maid calls her "Miz Bella," by which I think we can infer that this was the family's hope for their daughter. But Arabella's friends and familiars call her Arab, and I think this is truer to her self-concept.
She's a character I should like, but as of the first book, I just want to throttle her.
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Ah! Yes. Actually, after our brief conversation here, I did a bit of reading up on mpreg, and a lot of it is intended as feminist parable, so I've come to have a much more tolerant view of it.
Enjoyable things I have read recently:--A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson. A gorgeous queer fantasy romance novella which is nominated for a Hugo this year (and wouldn't that be cool if it won?). The writing is beautiful and it's just all-around cool and I loved it. I am excited to read more by this man. Oh and Ginn Hale has a quote on the back saying it's good, which was a fun surprise. :)
--Ridiculous by DL Carter. A fun and very funny (and slightly ridiculous) het historical romance with a crossdressing heroine. Very entertaining.
--Alex Beecroft goodness: Blue Eyed Stranger and Blue Steel Chain. Both lovely.
--JL Merrow goodness: Caught!. Also lovely.
Josh wrote: "Loretta wrote: "I also read a delightfully written mpreg story by SC Wynne. My Omega's Baby"Ah! Yes. Actually, after our brief conversation here, I did a bit of reading up on mpre..."
A feminist parable? In what way?
I admit I have read couple of those mpreg, usually by accident, no knowing that was the plot and among other things that bug me about this trope is that the man who gets pregnant is omega? that is, he is submissive and weaker and needs to be protected by the big strong alpha male in the relationship.
(just light me on fire already)
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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