Laurie R. King Virtual Book Club discussion
What Are You Reading Today? -(v2.0)
I'm in a different period altogether: The Empty Throne, which takes place in 911 C.E. It's the eighth of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, and as engaging as its predecessors. Not a mystery, but rather a nicely fictionalized retelling of AEthelflaed's ascension as the first female ruler of Mercia.
I just finished Mrs Hudson's Case and, while it was a fine story, it was so very short. I got it from the library but would have been annoyed if I had bought it.
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I think that was just a short story (redundant, sorry). By which I mean, I think I bought the ecopy for like $1. I actually like that a lot better than all the anthology type short stories (which I definitely pick up from the library!).
I am reading 'Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Novel' by Jacqueline Winspear. It's a good series.
Malkah wrote: "I am reading 'Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Novel' by Jacqueline Winspear. It's a good series."My favorite new series of 2014! Are you ready for the newest book, coming out Feb. 17?
Barbara wrote: "Malkah wrote: "I am reading 'Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Novel' by Jacqueline Winspear. It's a good series."My favorite new series of 2014! Are you ready for the newest book, coming out Feb...."
Oh, not yet! I'm only on #4 now! :)
Malkah wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Malkah wrote: "I am reading 'Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Novel' by Jacqueline Winspear. It's a good series."My favorite new series of 2014! Are you ready for the newest book,..."
Enjoy ... savor slowly ... and I meant to type "March 17, 2015" which is the date "A Dangerous Place" will be released.
I just finished Hallie Ephron's new book Night Night, Sleep Tight that is due out March 24th. Excellent read. I will probably start Tess Gerritsen's Die Again tonight. Can't believe I haven't gotten to it yet.
I am reading a mystery series by a Danish writer, Jussi Adler-Olsen. The first is The Keeper of Lost Causes. A reluctant detective is stuck in the basement with a pile of unsolved cases. Engaging characers.
There is also Ann Cleeves, Shetland Island series
farmwifetwo wrote: "I've been trying to find something new to read. Everything is mediocre at best lately. Small words, bland plots, place and time could be on the moon because it just doesn't exist.https://www.good..."
I can think of tons of authors that I enjoyed and still enjoy reading, but am not sure if you preferences. I love historical mysteries where the protagonist and the story are from a different era (Jacqueline Winspeare, Charles Todd, Charles Finch, Susan Elia MacNeal) I also like hard boiled (Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett). Some from what is considered the Golden Age (Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey). The some that are eclectic (Thomas Perry, Tami Hoag, Eileen Dreyer, Skye Moody, Minette Walters). I have found through my book groups that books I like very much were "so-so" or "not interesting" to others in the group or, the worst - "I just couldn't get into it."
If you like a variety, you might try some of the above, if you haven't already. Oh, the early Ellery Queen are wonderful before they made him a misogynist.
There is a new Jacqueline Winspear book out. I don't remember the name but I saw it while covering books at the library. There is also a new book "Where they Found Her" by Kimberly McCreight who wrote "Reconstructing Amelia" that we read in the group recently. Have you tried Dana Stabenow's Kate Sugak or Liam Campbell series set in Alaska? I also liked her "2nd Star" SciFi series. I am not usually a SciFi fan but these are good.
I suggest the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. It takes place in Ohio Amish country. Ms. Burkholder, who was raised Amish but left the community and embarked on a career in law enforcement, is now back in her home town and serving as chief of police. I've read the first three in the series (there are currently seven) and intend to continue.
I've been trying to think of some authors that aren't the "same old." Have you tried any of the following authors:Sarah Lovett (Sylvia Strange series - forensic psychologist)
Virginia Lanier (Bloodhound series - Jo Beth Siddon, Bloodhound trainer,
Search dogs)
Teri Holbrook (Gale Grayson series - husband blew up himself and a church)
John Dunning (Cliff Janeway series - book collector)
Sujata Massey (Rei Shimura series - part Japanese, part American, living
in Japan as underpaid English teacher)
Stuart M. Kaminsky (Inspector Profiry Rostnikov series, Russian policeman)
Donald Harstad (Carl Houseman series, Deputy Sheriff in rural Iowa)
Let me know if any of the above sound promising.
I guess I haven't read enough in the genre to know what is and isn't "same old" - sorry.
I think "same old" would depend on what we've read. For a while, the hard boiled detective who was a hard drinker became a stereotype that I found became old. I like when a book takes me to another country, another culture, another era so that I learn something new. I like Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder because of her Amish upbringing and her current status in juxtaposition with her upbringing. I like Stuart Kaminsky's Inspector Rostnikov because of his position with the police in Moscow - he likes Ed McBain, which adds to his character. I learn something new from every book I read, so I try to recommend books that I've enjoyed.
I love Virginia Lanier's Bloodhound series. For me, born and bred in the south, they are a reminder of home. If you are not from the Southern US, they may give you a glimpse into a different culture. Jo Beth Siddons is the main character who breeds, trains and works Bloodhounds for search and rescue missions. She is also a battered spouse who lives in fear of her ex and his cronies and the series explores how she fights back. They are best read in order.
farmwifetwo wrote: ""Same old's" are the one's that are on every list and read by everybody.Most groups have their "favs". You ask people what they have read lately and you get the usual top 10 of that group. Been t..."
Glad you're going to try my list. I have gone through phases where I tried to find some new author who isn't on a list. The down side was that after 3 or so books, they get dropped by the publisher because they don't sell enough. I think the self-publishing and eBooks have been a Godsend for some of those authors.
Happy reading. Hope you enjoy them
Farmwifetwo -I am impressed-300 books a year. I usually get about 90-100 a year. I read a TIME magazine article 10+ yrs ago about a woman who struggled to keep a promise to read a book a week for a year. I just laughed when she complained about the disruption to her life! Only reading 8 books a year is just so sad.
There was a time when I read a book a day. I've slowed down, but still read several books a month. I love reading!
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https://www.good..."
I think you've read everything I've read, Sheri. Probably everything I'm considering reading too, LOL.
I'll be curious to see what everyone else suggests.
Two other good series, Louise Penney, Inspector Gamache in French Canada, and Julia Spencer Fleming, main character an Iraqi war vet/Episcopal priest and also a woman in upstate New York. Great characters and they do change and grow.
I've read some ofthe Spencer-Fleming books. They are enjoyable. One of the things I like about them is how Clare fulfills her priestly duties.
Just read Pearl S. Buck's Peony: truly well written and interesting. After all my new learning about Jewish culture in various countries(Laurie R; King's Mary Russell), it was a real eye-opener to realize that Jewish communities existed for centuries in China. The beauty of the book is the perceptive characterizations- each person is understandable and sympathetic, though clearly, different world views persisted-- for instance, Madame Ezra wanted to do God's will-- though it was very difficult to discern whether it was her will or God's... Very subtle plot development; a real treat of a book.
I've just finished Broken Homes and I'm dying to go on to Foxglove Summer. And I'm fabulously annoyed to discover that, even though the book has been out awhile, the audio version does not appear to be available except on Audible. So I guess I'll have to use my eyeballs, because I REALLY want to know what happens next. And if Nightingale is ever going to tell us what happened at Ettersberg (which, I learned from Wikipedia, is where Buchenwald concentration camp was located).
Just finished Colin Cotterrill's Six and a Half Sins. I love this series but thought that this one had a very strange ending.
I just finished The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes which I think this group would enjoy. It's a fun read, very thorough, and of course the author interviews Laurie for the section on pastiche.
Gamache #7 A Trick of the Light. Excellent book and series.
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John.
I wonder if you've read any of Catriona McPherson's cozies set in Scotland? There's not wartime stories but from the 1920s and lots of fun.
I've read a few of them. Love the big dog and how she basically uses the fact that among her class, children are sent away to school. Her husband basically ignores her. Nice to have a book where the partners aren't involved.
I am now reading the newest book in the Kate Daniels series - Magic Shifts. If you like Urban Fantasy this is a great series written by Ilona Andrews.
And the new Margaret Maron just came out. So happy because this has been a bad week.
I just finished rereading "a Town Like Alice" by Nevil Shute for my book group. I had forgotten how well he writes and how very much I enjoy this book.
The Trustee from the Tool Room by Nevil Shute is one of my favorite comfort reads when the real world begins to look too grim.
I just finished Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, and found myself wishing for an interview with Clarissa Ledger, Russell's former Oxford don and expert on religious movements (from LANG). I also finished Foxglove Summer, which I loved, and am now impatiently awaiting the next installment in the series, The Hanging Tree, which won't be out until April 2016! (At least someone finally told us what happened at Ettersburg.)
Dina wrote: "Just finished Colin Cotterrill's Six and a Half Sins. I love this series but thought that this one had a very strange ending."I think all of his books in the coroner series are wonderfully strange - I love them and they are certainly not the same old-same old!
Susan, I agree but this ending was strange even for him! Have you read it yet? What did you think?I just wish I liked his other series as much.
Just finished the steampunk novel THE IRON WYRM AFFAIR by Lilith Saintcrow. Very enjoyable and entertaining. I plan on reading the second book in the series. But I'm also reading four novels at the same time. The Anchoress. Shades of Milk and Honey. Tiffany Girl.
Dina wrote: "Susan, I agree but this ending was strange even for him! Have you read it yet? What did you think?I just wish I liked his other series as much."
I haven't read this, newest one yet, but I plan to. The premise is intriguing, if a little ghoulish!
I can't wait to hear what you think of it.
Susan Pola wrote: "Just finished the steampunk novel THE IRON WYRM AFFAIR by Lilith Saintcrow. Very enjoyable and entertaining. I plan on reading the second book in the series. But I'm also reading four novels at t..."I read Shades of Milk and Honey. I enjoyed so much I read the rest of the books in the series.
Dina wrote: "And the new Margaret Maron just came out. So happy because this has been a bad week."Sorry you have had a bad week. I have it ready to go on my Kindle. Did you hear that Margaret Maron says it's the last of the series? I am afraid to start it for fear of losing important characters and not wanting it to end.
I just got my library copy of the new Harper Lee book. I have to read that 1st. I only have 2 weeks :(.
And I just started "Thirteenth Night" for the book club. So Many Books So Little Time!
Laura, I had not heard that about the series. I certainly hope it is not true!
Sadly Dina, it's for real. I heard she sent out an email on Monday and she posted about it on her Facebook page. She feels this book wraps up the series nicely and answers a lot of questions about Deborah's past. She says she didn't want the story to get stale. I am dreading opening the book because it will be the end once I do. I will have to savor every word.
I saw that also. I am glad I didn't know it when reading the book because it would have been more melancholic to read it knowing it was the last one.Of course, there are short stories. And hopefully she will begin a new series.
And there are a few stand alone novels based in the same area of NC as the Deborah Knott books. I enjoyed them too. I have not gotten into the Sigrid Harald books. My heart is in NC.
I only picked up Bootlegger's Daughter because I loved the Sigrid books. And I really loved the crossovers.
I've been away from the group for a while, just busy, and it looks like I've picked a good time to reconnect. Dina and Laura, I have been meaning to read Margaret Maron for so long, and I have the Bootlegger's Daughter that I'm definitely going to read before Bouchercon, so I can at least get started before seeing her. My reading now is filled with books for Bouchercon, but that's okay because it's all great reading. I just started A Killing at the Creek by Nancy Allen.
Laurie R. King Virtual Book Club
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Well, yes, there is. Anyone can write a story (or, for that matter, a TV or movie script) in which the details do not hang togethe..."
Details and attention to real life are important to me too, perhaps because I'm an anthropologist. The historical fiction I'm currently reading, Buster Midnight's Cafe, is satisfying on all accounts. The author, Sandra Dallas, has written nine nonfiction books about the American West, and her knowledge and research really shine through in her fiction. The story is set in Butte Montana, a wide-open copper mining town, during Prohibition. The narrator, Effa Commander, is telling the story of her childhood growing up in Butte during Prohibition surrounded by friends and family who are all totally believable. I'm on page 33 and loving it.