What are you reading in 2021?

[Carolyn]

I've just finished She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, a fictional historical saga (book 1 of 2) based on the fourteenth century rebellion that eventually led to the overthrow of the Yuan dynasty and the establishment of the Ming dynasty.
Although it does have a small fantasy element and some gender diverse characters, it seems to be very much based on the actual history of the rebellion and leaders involved. I enjoyed it and learnt a lot about the period.

my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Melissa]

Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting into anything. I've been in a bit of a funk lately.

[Nicky]

Melissa wrote: "Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting into anything. I've been in a bit of a funk lately."

That's the worst. Would a short, easy, quick read help? Something simple?

[Melissa]

Nikki wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting into anything. I've been in a bit of a funk lately."

That's the worst. Would a short, easy, quick read help? Something simple?"

Possibly, although I've been trying to read something that seems like it would be short, quick, and easy for the last week, week and a half.

[Jaye]

Melissa wrote: "Nikki wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting into anything. I've been in a bit of a funk lately."

That's the worst. Would a short, easy, quick read help? Something simple..."
Try the lists. I've seen at least one novellas list.

[Nicky]

Melissa wrote: "Nikki wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting into anything. I've been in a bit of a funk lately."

That's the worst. Would a short, easy, quick read help? Something simple..."
Hmm, if that doesn't work, then maybe you need a little reading break. Sometimes, when I read a lot, I find myself tired too, and then I'll just take a 3 day break to wind down a little. I know a reading slump is different, but maybe it's your brain that's telling you it needs some time to recharge.

[Carolyn]

Here's my review for The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey, another excellent addition to her historical mystery series featuring a woman lawyer in 1920s India.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Maybe this series would work for you Melissa. It's interesting without being too taxing.

[Chris]

Lucrezia Borgia by John Faunce.

Very disappointing.

[Joanne]

I just started Pope Joan, it is moving really slowly. I am quick to throw a book at the wall-Has anyone read this, and is it worth continuing?

[Chris]

Joanne wrote: "I just started Pope Joan, it is moving really slowly. I am quick to throw a book at the wall-Has anyone read this, and is it worth continuing?"

I really liked this book. There are a few places that stretches credulity. but overall pretty good if you like this historical period of time.

[Joanne]

Thanks Chris, decided last night to continue on and see how it goes. Seemed to be picking up

[CindySR]

Just finished Flashback by Nevada Barr. It's a modern day action adventure/thriller told in tandem with a story, in letter form, from 1865. If you like Civil War themes you might like this but don't read if you don't like stories within stories.
My review

[PattyMacDotComma]

Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land, by Métis author Toni Jensen, is a collection of powerful essays and stories about dispossession, trafficking, gun violence and general abuse of and disregard for the First Nations peoples of the Americas.

Jensen has had quite a life and shares it, warts and all.
4★ Link to my review of Carry

[Peggyzbooksnmusic]

Finished Death in the East #4 Wyndham & Banerjee by Abir Mukherjee. Rated 5 stars. Another excellent entry in this mystery series set in 1920's India.This was a much more emotional read then the last 3 books. Sam and his Indian associate, Sergeant Banerjee, must face the differences in their cultures which in turn will affect their personal and working relationship. Loved the ending!

[Jim]

Fact not fiction but still a great story:

Finished reading Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II

by Daniel James Brown

My Review

[Alice]

I just finished The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton. Very interesting set in late 1890s covers Spanish American War. You get the feel for what it is like to be in Cuba at that time as well as American journalist covering it. Gorgeous cover art.

[Nicky]

I finished To Tame a Land today. I gave it 5*. Now I'm starting Crossfire Trail, same author. I should be done in 4 days or so. Hopefully it'll be another 5*.

[Peggyzbooksnmusic]

Finished The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin. Fictional novel about silent screen star Mary Pickford and award winning screenwriter Frances Marion. Enjoyed the first half but after that the story dragged on and on. Rated 3 stars.

[Book Concierge]

Little Big Man – Thomas Berger – 3.5***
Berger’s novel purports to be a memoir/autobiography of Jack Crabb – frontiersman, Indian scout, gunfighter, buffalo hunter, adopted Cheyenne. I was completely entertained by this novel of the American West. Berger gives the reader quite the raconteur in Crabb, with a gift for story-telling and colorful language. By the narrator’s own account, he certainly has a gift for landing on his feet, managing to get out of more than one potentially deadly scrape by his wits or sheer dumb luck. If the scenarios stretch credulity, well that is part of the fun.
My full review HERE

[Steven]

Thanks for the excellent review. Sort of a Forrest Gump of the American West. It was a five-star movie though...

[PattyMacDotComma]

A Little Bit of Courage is all you need to fly high! Author/illustrator Claire Alexander created cute little "Ploofers" to show kids how to learn to be brave.
5★ Link to my review of A Little Bit of Courage with many illustrations

[PattyMacDotComma]

South Australian author Garry Disher's recent book Consolation is my favourite kind of writing. Perfect for place, plot, and people. This is rural Australia where crooks think they can get away with murder.
4.5~5★ Link to my review of Consolation

[Jim]

Finished reading A Gambling Man

by David Baldacci

My Review

[Melissa]

I just started Lionheart today.

[Ashley Marie]

I started Hamnet this morning and I'm in love with the prose. Absolutely gorgeous.

[Lorna]

I am reading it, too. And I agree the prose is beautiful.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I am reading Arrows of the Queen

[CindySR]

Half done with The Last Garden in England , kind of slow going but I'm not sure if it's the book or me. We are having a heat wave that will.not.quit.

[Joanne]

CindySlowReader wrote: "Half done with The Last Garden in England , kind of slow going but I'm not sure if it's the book or me. We are having a heat wave that will.not.quit."

I hope it picks up for you Cindy, I really enjoyed it.

[Donna]

So many good hf this year. I just finished The Gift of Rain - a beautiful book about the Japanese invasion of Malaya during WWII and a young man’s divided loyalties.

[Chris]

Just started The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Nonfiction about Venice, Italy. Fascinating & flows nicely.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

[Finished book:Arrows of the Queen|13986] and starting Arrow's Flight

[Carolyn]

Set in the late 1930s Derek B. Miller's new book How to Find Your Way in the Dark introduces us to the young Sheldon Horowitz, who we first met as the unforgettable 82 year old in Norwegian by Night.

review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[PattyMacDotComma]

Derek B. Miller has given Sheldon Horowitz, his elderly protagonist from Norwegian by Night, a great back story in How to Find Your Way in the Dark. Sheldon wants to kill his father's murderer, but he's only 12.
Loved it!
5★ Link to my review of How to Find Your Way in the Dark

[PattyMacDotComma]

Indigenous Aussie author Adam Thompson's recent collection of short stories is spot-on. The fifteen stories in Born Into This take place in Tasmania, but the problems and challenges are nation-wide.

Well worth reading.
4.5~5★ Link to my review of Born Into This

[Alice]

I finished The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen. I enjoyed it a lot. Set in 1928, WWII and 2001. Very good job of tying time periods together, and lovely discussions of Venice.

[Ashley Marie]

I finished by Maggie O'Farrell yesterday. 5 stars, gorgeous prose, and it may very well be my favorite book of the year. If you're keen on Shakespeare and/or slow-burn historical fiction, don't miss this one. The hype is well-deserved.

[Kathryn]

Ashley Marie wrote: "I finished by Maggie O'Farrell yesterday. 5 stars, gorgeous prose, and it may very well be my favorite book of the year. If you're keen on Shakespeare and/or slow-burn h..." I loved Hamnet too.

[Kathryn]

I'm currently reading Babbitt. Published in 1920, this Sinclair Lewis novel is a commentary on the emptiness of upper-middle class life in that era. It's written in a less subtle style than more modern literary fiction, but I'm really enjoying it.

[Bev]

I finally got around to reading the Mary Renault trilogy about Alexander the Great (Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy, Funeral Games), which was so beautifully written and such a wonderful read. I'm now reading a book from a slightly earlier time-period - Steven Pressfield's stunning Gates of Fire, about the Spartans defending the Gates at Thermopylae against the Persian army. This is a beautifully written book about the brutality of war and men's bravery in the face of death. 2021 is turning out to be a really good year for historical fiction books for me.

[Book Concierge]

The Old Gringo – Carlos Fuentes – 1*
The novel is framed as the reminiscence of a woman. An old journalist heads to Mexico during the time of the Mexican Revolution seeking, not a story, but his death. There has been much praise for this work; it was the first translated work by a Mexican author to become a bestseller in the United States. But I had great difficulty engaging with the characters and the plot, such as it was. Our book club struggled to find anything positive to say about this work.
My full review HERE

[Peggyzbooksnmusic]

Finished For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick. #4 William Marshal & #1 Bigod. AKA "The Time of Singing". One of my favorite Medieval historical fiction/romance series set in 12th century England & Europe during the reigns of Henry I, Richard I and King John. Rated 4 stars.

[PattyMacDotComma]

My Name is Anton by Catherine Ryan Hyde will be enjoyed by her fans. I also think younger readers would like this story of a young man in love.
3★ Link to my review of My Name is Anton

[PattyMacDotComma]

I must read more Jeffery Deaver! I enjoyed his latest Amazon Original Story, Cause of Death, which could easily have been deveoped into a novel. While the title may not be unique, the cause of death certainly is.
5★ Link to my review of Cause of Death

[Chris]

Nonfiction book about Venice. Very readable, although gets slow at times. The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt who wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Finished Arrow's Flight and starting The Faerie Path

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Finished Arrow's Flight and started The Faerie Path

[John]

Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia

[Kathryn]

Currently reading The Mirror & the Light. It is LONG: about 750 pages. And there are many, many characters and a lot of subtle political intrigue, so you have to read it very carefully to get the most out of it. But I really liked the first two books in the series, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, so I wanted to read this final one.

[PattyMacDotComma]

"Revolutions never start at the top." Aussie social psychologist Hugh Mackay has studied and written about the Australian community for decades. The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism is a terrific resource for anyone wanting to make a difference, not only in Australia.
4.5★ Link to my Kindness Revolution review