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Currently Reading? Just Finished? 2015
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Theweebarrell
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Jul 08, 2015 08:45AM
I am reading the surgeon by Tess gerritsen , and a seals desire free from netgalley for an honest review
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I'm reading The Martian, a nice sci fi novel.There is a lot of scientific description, but also a bit of fun, mainly for main character. Funny are some parts of his diary.
Andrew wrote: "I'm reading The Martian, a nice sci fi novel.There is a lot of scientific description, but also a bit of fun, mainly for main character. Funny are some parts of his diary."
I read this recently - really a lot of scientific jargon. It's being made into a movie with Matt Damon.
Barbara wrote: "Andrew wrote: "I'm reading The Martian, a nice sci fi novel.There is a lot of scientific description, but also a bit of fun, mainly for main character. Funny are some parts of his ..."
Yes, I saw the trailer and I wanted to read the book, before watch the movie.
There are some scientific concepts, but it's understandable. And there are a lot of things to remember, throughout the story.
I finished Rock with Wings by Anne Hillerman. Anne Hillerman is following in her father - Tony Hillerman's - footsteps, carrying on with his Navaho Tribal Police series. As the story opens tribal cops Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito, recently married, are taking a vacation in Monument Valley when fate steps in. Jim ends up helping a relative in Monument Valley while working security for a movie company. And Bernie returns to their home in Shiprock for a situation involving her mom and sister.
While in Shiprock Bernie resumes her police duties. She had previously arrested a young man for attempted bribery during a traffic stop and she wants to find out what he was hiding. Bernie is dismayed to learn that there were no drugs in his car and that the FBI wants the tribal police to back off. Bernie can't let it go however.
Meanwhile Jim finds a 'grave' in Monument Valley, which he suspects is a publicity stunt arranged by the movie company to advertise their zombie film. The movie company honchos deny knowing about the grave but Jim continues his inquiry. Before long an employee of the movie company is murdered and Jim investigates.
As Bernie and Jim pursue their separate inquiries each meets up with various suspicious characters that need looking into. They both turn to their mentor - 'The Legendary Lieutenant' Joe Leaphorn - for help. This is difficult because Joe is recovering from a bullet to the head - but he's able to use a computer to assist his mentees.
I liked the setting of the book and enjoyed the tidbits of Navaho culture. The dual plots, however, were confused and less than compelling. There was an interesting array of characters, though, from Bernie's loving mom and alcoholic young sister to sleazy movie makers to Navaho elders.
For me this was just a so-so book (2 stars) but I might try another Anne Hillerman book in the future.
I finished off two books today. 
is the concluding book of Joe Abercrombie’s YA fantasy Shattered Sea Trilogy. While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as I did the first two books in the trilogy, it was still a satisfying conclusion to the story. Here’s my review.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
is a Christian fiction, aka religious fantasy, book that I read for a group read. It isn’t something that I would ordinarily choose for myself and my review (below) reflects that. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Barbara wrote: "I finished Rock with Wings by Anne Hillerman. Anne Hillerman is following in her father - Tony Hillerman's - footsteps, carrying on with his Navaho Tribal Police ser..."I read the first of Anne's books and, while I was thrilled to have another Hillerman book to read, I didn't find her book nearly as engaging as I did her father's books.
Tom wrote: "Barbara wrote: "I finished Rock with Wings by Anne Hillerman. Anne Hillerman is following in her father - Tony Hillerman's - footsteps, carrying on with his Navaho T..."@ Tom I agree that Tony Hillerman's books are better. I also think he incorporated more elements of Navaho life and philosophy into his books.
I've got three books on the go and am enjoying them all so far; 
, which I thought would be way too long, but it's flowing nicely and very interesting
, the first Sean Duffy mystery/ thriller and my first exposure to Adrian McKinty. It's grabbed me right from the beginning; love his writing style so far and the story.
. Just started and enjoying so far.
Bill wrote: "[bookcover:The Cold Cold Ground: he first Sean Duffy mystery/ thriller and my first exposure to Adrian McKinty. It's grabbed me right from the beginning; love his writing style so far and the story."I loved this one and look forward to reading the other books in the trilogy.
I just finished an ARC of Haitian Graves, a moderately entertaining mystery about a Canadian Mountie serving as a UN adviser in Haiti whose greatest feature is its brevity.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jo NesboI like Jo Nesbo's books and am now reading Nemesis. 3***. It gets more engrossing about 40% into it. I am reading it on my kindle and I am wondering if it has been edited differently than if in paperback. The translation is a little rough in spots, leaves you hanging in other spot; however, the plot idea is good and Harry is always the best part of Nesbo's books
Just finished The Solitary Envoy by T. Davis Bunn. 4 stars. Learned some interesting history.
Oops! Wrong group. Bunn book not mys., crime or thriller. Sorry.
Nancy wrote: "Oops! Wrong group. Bunn book not mys., crime or thriller. Sorry."So? The name is Currently Reading? Just Finished? 2015. Does it have to be a mystery or thriller?
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You can post whatever you'd like here. No wrong about it.
I've finished The Martian, a great story. I'm looking forward to see the movie. I read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 and today I started The Name of the Wind. The beginning is good.
Andrew wrote: "today I started The Name of the Wind. The beginning is good. "One of my favorites.
Tom wrote: "Andrew wrote: "today I started The Name of the Wind. The beginning is good. "One of my favorites."
Also one of mine, I hope.
I finished Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell. This 2nd book in the series takes place in 1850s London. Bizarre murders are occurring among London's elite and a message is left at each crime scene that seems to threaten Queen Victoria. It soon becomes clear that the perpetrator is seeking revenge for something that happened to his family many years before. In an effort to catch the perpetrator the crimes are investigated by two amateur detectives - Thomas De Quincey and his daughter Emily - and two Scotland Yard detectives - Becker and Ryan.
David Morrell skillfully depicts the ambiance of London at the time and includes a good chunk of authentic London history (according to his own essay at the end of the book). The rich, aristocratic people of the time apparently believed that 'their class' never committed crimes and consistently blamed the poor, especially the unwelcome Irish.
For the most part the story is gritty and violent, with the murderer pursuing his agenda and British nobleman (literally) fighting between themselves over a woman.
The book alternates points of view between the murderer and the third person narrator, and contains excerpts from Emily's journal. For the first two-thirds the book is suspenseful and compelling. The story then reaches a climax after which it takes too many chapters to wrap up. Moreover several of the story points that emerge in the final chapters are not believable, culminating in an unsatisfying ending. All in all this book works better for its history than its mystery. 3 stars.
I finished Memory Man by David Baldacci - the June group read (took a while to get it from the library). The detective is unique and the mystery is interesting. 3.5 stars.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just wrapped up 11/22/63
Which, I just found out is going to be the group read for July/August! Here's my review:
review for audiobook - 5 stars story ♫ 5 stars narration.
This is my all time favorite Stephen King book! I had chills, I laughed, I held my breath, I hoped, I dreamed, I feared and (once when my son tapped me on the shoulder during a scary part.... I screamed a blood curdling scream). This book was FANTASTIC and perfect. I cried at the end! This book took a lot of work and I thank Stephen King for writing it. I'm so thankful he didn't write it in 1972 when he originally planned to do it, because, I don't feel it could have been half as good as it is now. I loved hearing Stephen King speak at the end and talk about his feelings on the book... very wonderful.
As for the narration!!!!!!! I would never be able to gush enough. The narrator was positively wonderful. He LIVED the story. I could feel his every emotion and he did such a fantastic job with all the character voices. He played the part of 30+ different people and everyone he did was spot on! I will look for more works from this narrator. He was fantastic and he really brought the book alive for me.
❆ Crystal ❆ wrote: "I just wrapped up 11/22/63 Which, I just found out is going to be the group read for July/August! Here's my review:
review for audiobook - 5 stars ..."
High praise indeed! :) (I liked this book as well)
I finally finished Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. What an amazing book with 5 years of research into it. It's as if we have to question everything "even" if a scientist says it. It actually makes me kind of sick how so many people can be duped into believing the lies. Here is my review.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am almost finished with The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us and while I don't know any people like that I think it would cover a few of our politicians and war mongers. It is a good book.
After those I needed a lighter read so I started The Stranger by Harlan Coben. It fits the bill although I am confused about who the stranger is. Maybe a new concept
Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and author for a preview copy, and apologies in the delay to read this book.
Arnie Milhouse is a murderer. A millionaire with dozens of kills in his past and no one the wiser. But when his name surfaces in connection with the death of a D.C. call girl, Arnie knows it’s only a matter of time before the FBI puts the pieces together. As he makes plans to disappear and leave his life in Annapolis behind forever, he meets a beautiful, mysterious woman who takes an interest in him. The perfect final victim. He can’t believe his luck. Only luck has nothing to do with it. Allison McNeil has returned to Annapolis, a city that she promised herself she would never come back to, not while the cruel memories of her time at the United States Naval Academy still haunt her. But she’s willing to do just about anything to get close to Arnie, even if it means having to face down the demons of her past. Her plans work and soon she and Arnie find themselves locked in a dangerous dance of seduction and betrayal. But Arnie isn’t the only one who carries a secret and the dark truth about Allison McNeil makes a final confrontation between them inevitable. Neither of them know it, but they're on a collision course that only one of them will survive.
KILLER WITHIN is an absorbing study of both a killer's mind as well as his pursuer's motivation. The cat-and-mouse game between the two main characters moves to its conclusion with the outcome unclear until the last pages, the whole book is like a game of chess between the two main characters.
The intermingled multiple mystery plotlines and detailed descriptions of the locale in which this novel takes place combine to make this a breathtaking, scary and interesting work. Once I picked it up I was hard pressed to put it down, that is when you know the book is good, when you cannot wait to get back to reading it.
A great book, and my first read from this author, but not my last. A clear four stars for me
Once again I’ve managed to finish two very different books in relatively short order. The Beautiful Bureaucrat
is an ARC that I read to review for Amazon. It is a short and oddly whimsical tale that is not unlike what you would expect if Franz Kafka and Jose Saramago had a daughter who worked for the government and wrote a memoir about it. If you think what I just wrote is odd, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The movie version of the Argentine mystery The Secret in Their Eyes
was awarded a well-deserved Oscar for best foreign language film. The book is even better. Don’t miss it.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Nancy wrote: "I'm currently past the midpoint of Flood of Fire, by Amitav Ghosh. It's the third book of his Ibis trilogy, set during the time of the Opium wars. The entire series is an amazing f..."I like Hearn's stories. I've been thinking of using one for the ghost story discussion.
Mod
"The Story of Miminashi Hoichi" is one of my all-time favorites, along with "Yuki-Onna," both of which I read a very long time ago. I saw both dramatized in the film Kwaidan, and they were very well done, but the stories are also amazing.
Mod
I have an extra copy of Kwaidan: Ghost Stories and Strange Tales of Old Japanif you'd like it, Tom. It got a little beat up in my suitcase, but it's still very readable.
I started
by Rebecca Rasmussen yesterday. I'm now about half way through it (Ch. 18) and could not put it down last night until my tablet landed on my face. Highly recommended although I'm sure it will not be happily ever after.
Nancy wrote: ""The Story of Miminashi Hoichi" is one of my all-time favorites, along with "Yuki-Onna," both of which I read a very long time ago. I saw both dramatized in the film Kwaidan, and they were very well done, but the stories are also amazing. "Great minds work alike! This is what I had on my list:
Lafcadio Hearn – “Yuki-onna”
Lafcadio Hearn – “ The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hôïchi”
I'd love a copy of Kwaidan, provided yours really is an extra.
Mod
It is a second copy. I took the book out to read in Seattle, and realized I needed a new copy for my library since the cover got a little bent in my suitcase. I'll stick it in the mail this week.
Mod
You could do both -- they're very short.
❆ Crystal ❆ wrote: "I just wrapped up 11/22/63 Which, I just found out is going to be the group read for July/August!
Here's my review:
review for audiobook - 5 stars ..."
I thought it was a very good and appropriate ending. Glad you liked it.
Which, I just found out is going to be the group read for July/August! Here's my review:
review for audiobook - 5 stars ..."
I thought it was a very good and appropriate ending. Glad you liked it.
Some books I have read in the last few weeksJudas Kiss by J.T. Ellison I been trying to re read this whole series. I love her books hope she write a new book for this series!
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult Not one of her best books but it wasnt that bad though
Invisible by James Patterson Really loved this one from him. I hope he writes a 2nd part to it
The Killing Edge by Heather Graham I though i read this one before but when i started it i just didnt remember nothing about the book. man this was a creepy book though!
I'm reading The Name of the Wind, a nice fantasy series, and Man Made Murder. The latter is an interesting thriller, even if I am at the beginning (I read only 5%).
I'm reading the neighbour by lisa gardner
Just finished The Remorseful Day - very sad to have finished Inspector Morse. It was a fitting end to a very good series.Yesterday I read Death of a Gossip - so I seem to have replaced Morse with Hamish MacBeth....
I finished The Precipice: A Novel by Paul Doiron last night and it was very good, 5 Stars. This morning I started the newest Chet and Bernie book, Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn
Nancy wrote: "Late last night I finished Highsmith's The Blunderer. Next up is her Deep Water."I hope you enjoy Deep Water; it's interesting. I just finished This Sweet Sickness.
I finished Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen. I've read several books by Hiaasen and they've always been funny witn oddball characters.In this book, an investigative reporter who's been demoted to the obituary page tries to get back on top by writing a story about (what he thinks is) the suspicious death of former rock star Jimmy Stoma.
Though there are some fun characters in the book the mystery at the heart of the story isn't compelling and the book slogs along in places. 2.5 stars.
My complete review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
I hope you enjoy Deep Water; it's interesting. I just finished Th..."</i>
I'm reading them in publication order, so there are two to go before I get to [book:This Sweet Sickness. I'm enjoying her work.
Mod
Nancy wrote: "why the heck is that in italics? Oh well."Because the end of what you were replying to didn't properly close the italics. The closure marks (the brackets, backslash, and letter 'i' following the 'TH..."') were absorbed into the title link for This Sweet Sickness.
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The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group
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