2023 - What Are You Reading? Showing 501-550 of 1,321

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

Warm and cuddly and mushy for the most part. A great light read despite some dark topics.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Eric]

I completed The Game of Kings. A solid three star historical fiction about the forever feud between Scotland and England, circa 16-17th centuries. Four and five star moments and some philosophical meandering by Dunnett. Dunnett is unique and well worth the read, if you've never read her. I started years ago with the Niccolò Rising series.

[Sarah-Hope]

Really enjoyed Tom Mead's The Murder Wheel coming out in July 2023, but which reads like the best of golden age mysteries. Set in the 1930s with multiple inexplicable murders (including a locked room) and featuring two magicians: one a retired professional, the other an avid amateur.

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

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda

Not my kind of book due to its gritty violence, but I can see why this author is popular.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Carolyn]

I loved this beautifully written story of a family of widows in a deserted Umbrian village, clinging on to their way of life in their crumbling family villa and their tale of revenge for a crime committed during WW2.

Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith

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

[Rachel]

Set in Malaysia:
The Night Tiger is an historical fiction by Chinese Malaysian author Yangsze Choo set in Malaya in the 1930s. The book incorporates elements of magical realism, mythology, mystery and romance and includes weretigers, ghosts and 1930s dancehalls. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

[Pippa]

Pippa wrote: "My review of
by Kate Mosse
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now to decide what to read next ...and settled on
[bookcover:The Famil..."

[Karen]

Here is my review for "Where Echoes Die," which I rated 4 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Karen]

My review for Starring Adele Astaire 5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Janice]

I am rereading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.

[PattyMacDotComma]

Raymond Carver wrote many short stories and a lot has been written about them. A Small, Good Thing is a famous, moving one that I see more in every time I read it.
5★ My review of A Small, Good Thing with links to the story online

[PattyMacDotComma]

What a fascinating mix of biography, mystery, and history.The Postcard, by acclaimed French author Anne Berest, is what she uncovered about the disappearance of her Russian Jewish family during WWII. Just remarkable!
5★ My review of The Postcard

[Peggyzbooksnmusic]

Finished The Last White Rose by Alison Weir. Historical fiction about Elizabeth of York; mother of Henry III. Enjoyed although only rated 3 stars.
Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood - An anthology by various indie authors.

Loved a majority of the stories in this collection. Good for family drama readers.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Margaret]

I’m reading Survivors by Jane Harper

[Rachel]

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "What a fascinating mix of biography, mystery, and history.The Postcard, by acclaimed French author Anne Berest, is what she uncovered about the disappearance of her..."

This sounds like a wonderful, if haunting read.

[Rachel]

The Royal Governess

I just began this and so far I am enjoying it.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Inheritance by late Aussie author Kath O'Connor

A poignant read, but not as impactful as I had expected.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Margaret]

I’m reading Guns germs and steel

[Susanna]

I've just finished The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White and rated it a 5. White is becoming a favourite author of mine. She keeps the plot spinning and the reader guessing. Highly recommended.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Children of the Sun by Beth Lewis

Loved the premise of this cult fiction combined with sci-fi elements, but some elements in the writing could have been better.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

The Covenant of Water

I started this book this morning and think it will really hit my sweet reading spot. My fingers are crossed.

[PattyMacDotComma]

I can't pass up a good sampler, and the latest Buzz Books 2023: Fall/Winter is full of tempting excerpts. I've picked some I like the look of and included many short quotes to tempt you too. These are always available for free online from Publishers Lunch as well. Check the GR blurb for more info.
5★ My review of Buzz Books Fall/Winter 2023

[Sarah-Hope]

Palette of Blood is the second in an historical mystery series set during the design and building of St. Paul's Basilica at the heart of the Vatican. A third volume is slated to come out late this summer. The is a series that skillfully balances the historical and the mysterious, with a strong, female central character and similarly strong supporting cast. I think this is one of those series that is going to keep getting better and better over time.

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

[Sarah-Hope]

The Ice Harp is the newest addition to Norman Lock's "American Follies" series that uses fiction to explore key moments in US history through unique perspectives. In this volume, an aging and increasingly befuddled Ralph Waldo Emerson converses with both the living and the dead as he tries to determine whether he has lived a worthwhile life.

My ***** Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sarah-Hope]

Each new volume in Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistery mystery series leaves me even more eager for the next. This is a series in which the characters are well drawn, true to their times even when questioning them, and interesting as individuals as well as problem solvers. As that description might suggest, if you enjoy series mysteries and don't know about Perveen Mistry, you may want to go back and start with the first volume, but you can absolutely jump into them in any order without feeling on the margins. The latest volume The Mistress of Bhatia House has Perveen investigating and increasingly complex series of crimes that demonstrates the vulnarability that comes with poverty—particularly for women.

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

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

This had everything that should have worked for me, and yet it didn't. Disappointed.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

Sarah-Hope wrote: " The Ice Harp is the newest addition to Norman Lock's "American Follies" series that uses fiction to explore key moments in US history through uniqu..."

This sounds like a great book. I asked Libby to notify me when my library gets it. Thanks.

[Rachel]

Thanks for the recommendation. I just put it on my wish list. I love books about India.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Rachel wrote: "Thanks for the recommendation. I just put it on my wish list. I love books about India."

Which ones are your favourite? :)

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I am reading A Scandal in Battersea

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The Road To Dalton by Shannon Bowring

This needs more readers - it is such an excellent literary fiction novel, and a debut one at that!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel]

Rosh wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Thanks for the recommendation. I just put it on my wish list. I love books about India."

Which ones are your favourite? :)"

The Covenant of Water

I don't know if this is my favorite but I am reading this one presently and enjoying it.

[Rachel]

She Who Became the Sun is an award-winning debut novel by Asian-Australian author Shelley Parker-Chan. It is a reimagining of the 14th century Red Turban rebellions that ended the Mongol Yuan dynasty and issued in the Ming dynasty. It is historical fiction with a touch of fantasy and features village girl Zhu who must become a man to save herself and seek her fate of greatness. Here is my review

[PattyMacDotComma]

I love Aussie author Robbie Arnott's writing, and I'm sure I would have enjoyed The Rain Heron more if I'd read it instead of listened. It is original, poetic, and magical, but it is also brutal, which is a (little) less confronting on the page than when going straight to the brain.
3.5~4★ My review of The Rain Heron

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Rachel wrote: "The Covenant of Water."

Ah, have been hearing plenty of good things about it. Hope it goes well for you till the end. :)

[Rachel]

Rachel wrote: "Rosh wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Thanks for the recommendation. I just put it on my wish list. I love books about India."

Which ones are your favourite? :)"

The Covenant of Water

I do..."

Hey Rosh,

I was remiss in not asking for a recommendation from you re India.
So I am asking now. Is there a book you would recommend?
Re Covenant is about an Indian Christian family so it is a bit different. However, I am about half way through it and I think Partition is going to be in the next part of the story.

[Carolyn]

Murder in the Belltower by Helena Dixon is #5 in her 1930s cosy murder mystery series. Fairly short, with great characters and good plots they make for the perfect weekend read.

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

[Sarah-Hope]

The Midnight Newsis a work historical mystery set in London during the blitz. There's been a glut of WWII fiction lately, but this is a book that surprises in ways that transcend the usual limits of the genre.

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

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

Rachel wrote: "Hey Rosh,
I was remiss in not asking for a recommendation from you re India.
So I am asking now. Is there a book you would recommend?
Re Covenant is about an Indian Christian family so it is a bit different. However, I am about half way through it and I think Partition is going to be in the next part of the story."

I have found very few Indian books that are genuinely indicative of the country, Rachel. Most are intent on peddling stereotypes to Westerners, especially if written by Indian-American authors. Very few exceptions to this.
Some good ones for me:
1. Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies - anthology.
2. Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things - literary fiction
3. Damyanti Biswas's You Beneath Your Skin - crime thriller.
4. Perumal Murugan's Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat - social satire.
5. Vivek Shanbag's Ghachar Ghochar - literary fiction. The ending in this one is a sort of dealbreaker, so if you like the ending, you will like the book. I liked it but many of my friends hated it. :)
6. Anukrti Upadhyay's Bhaunri - feminist fiction.
7. Indu Sundaresan's Taj Mahal Trilogy - historical fiction. (Gotta give you at least one historical fiction suggestion as this group is mainly for historical lovers. :) )

I am currently reading Black River by Nilanjana Roy, and so far, it looks like a winner.

FWIW, I am an Indian Christian too, so I know that we are very underrepresented in Indian fiction. But Dr. Abraham Verghese is also an Indian Christian, so I am not surprised that he focussed on this community. I will push The Covenant of Water up my list. :)

[Kathryn]

Something not at all historical. A sci-fi thriller The Ferryman.Outside my usual genres but I'm finding it hard to put down.

[Pippa]

Going further back in time than usual, and AD 79 The House with the Golden Door

[Rachel]

Rosh wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Hey Rosh,
I was remiss in not asking for a recommendation from you re India.
So I am asking now. Is there a book you would recommend?
Re Covenant is about an Indian Christian family ..."

[Rachel]

Rosh wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Hey Rosh,
I was remiss in not asking for a recommendation from you re India.
So I am asking now. Is there a book you would recommend?
Re Covenant is about an Indian Christian family ..."

I loved Interpreter when I read it when it was new. Also, a long time ago, I read A Suitable Boy and enjoyed it but that is ancient history. I will look into the authors you mentioned.

Also, I know what you mean about stereotypes. As a person who grew up in NY and now lives in Las Vegas...

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I started Three to Get Deadly

[PattyMacDotComma]

I weakened and started a new (to me) series. (What was I thinking?!) Of course, I enjoyed Martin Walker's French village, so I expect to be squeezing in another visit to Bruno, Chief of Police again before too long.
4.5★ My review of Bruno, Chief of Police

[Steven]

Pippa, There is a recently published book, Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age that has an excellent section on Pompeii.

[Rachel]

Thursday Night Widows

I just started this book and am enjoying it.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~]

The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson

Earlier published in the US as 'The Lost Ticket'. A mixed bag for me, slightly tilted towards the positive side.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Alice]

I finished The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong. Time travel from modern Vancouver to 1869 Edinbourgh, Scotland. Good mystery and historical piece of how to deat with being a modern woman and then dumped in 1869. Book Two of the series.