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The Front Parlor > 2023 - What Are You Reading?

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message 251: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon certainly has some strange, tidy characters as well as a strange, tidy ending. There is a lot of love out there for this one twisty mystery.
A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon 3★ My review of A Tidy Ending


message 252: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments Robert Dugoni's latest, Her Deadly Game, is a courtroom drama with a good investigative dilemma at the heart and a most intriguing solution.
Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni 3.5~4★ My review of Her Deadly Game

If you're a NetGalley reviewer, it's on NetGalley until 11 April.


message 253: by Pippa (new)

Pippa Elliott | 97 comments The Clockwork Girl
A slow starter but has now hit its stride and enjoying the read so far...


Rosh ~catching up slowly~ (roshreviews) | 398 comments Pippa wrote: "The Clockwork Girl
A slow starter but has now hit its stride and enjoying the read so far..."


That's a good one! Too dark, but so interesting. Happy reading! :)


message 255: by Sarah-Hope (new)

Sarah-Hope | 124 comments Just finished The Lock-Up The Lock-Up by John Banville , John Banville's latest mystery featuring pathologist Dr. Quirke and set in post-WWII Ireland. If you like dark, brooding historical noir—you're in for a treat.

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


message 256: by Sarah-Hope (new)

Sarah-Hope | 124 comments If you enjoy historical mysteries set during the reign of Queen Victoria, you'll definitely want to check out The Nightingale Affair The Nightingale Affair by Tim Mason . It offers an eclectic mix of characters and complex plotting based in the politics of the time.

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


message 257: by Robin H-R (last edited Mar 28, 2023 11:58AM) (new)

Robin H-R Holmes Richardson (acetax) | 392 comments PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Ah, I remember the heady scent of racing fuel at trackside!

For me, it was the scent of rubber from a good burn out!



message 258: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments Today I started And Then There Were None for my book challenge. I have never read an Agatha Christie before.


message 259: by Janice (new)

Janice | 639 comments PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Janice wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "s. It's hard to believe it was the aut...

I can't wait to read your review of Pride and Prejudice! I hope you loved it! :) "

I can't say I loved it, Janice..."


PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Janice wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "s. It's hard to believe it was the aut...

I can't wait to read your review of Pride and Prejudice! I hope you loved it! :) "

I can't say I loved it, Janice..."


I am glad that you enjoyed it and you wrote a great review! :)


message 260: by Janice (new)

Janice | 639 comments Craftyhj wrote: "Abigail wrote: "The Diary of a Provincial Lady and The Old Wives' Tale."

I hope you are enjoying Diary of a Provincial Lady - I haven't read that since I ..."


I have listened to both of these books and really enjoyed them! :)


message 261: by Janice (new)

Janice | 639 comments Christa wrote: "Gretchen wrote: "Share with us all your current reads. Historical or otherwise." Reading Remarkably Bright Creatures, Quiet and Diary of a Provincial Lady."

I am on a long waiting list to read Remarkably Bright Creatures! I can't wait to read it! :)


message 262: by Janice (new)

Janice | 639 comments Rachel wrote: "Today I started And Then There Were None for my book challenge. I have never read an Agatha Christie before."

I love that book! I also love the 1945 movie! :)


message 263: by Leona (last edited Mar 29, 2023 02:54AM) (new)

Leona (mnleona) | 324 comments Rachel wrote: "Today I started And Then There Were None for my book challenge. I have never read an Agatha Christie before."

Have you watched the movies? Enjoy the book.


message 264: by Margaret (new)

Margaret Crampton (cramptonmargaret) | 8159 comments I’m reading Unfinished Canvas for my non fiction book club challenge. It’s gripping. True life murder mystery and cold case


message 265: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments Leona wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Today I started And Then There Were None for my book challenge. I have never read an Agatha Christie before."

Have you watched the movies? Enjoy the book."



I think I saw a TV adaptation of it. The part I am particularly enjoying, is that it is a send up of British class and society. I am not sure the author meant it as such but...


message 266: by Aly (new)

Aly Warner | 2 comments I am reading The Haven by Emma Donoghue- based on the 7th century journey of a monk and two priests to found a monastery on the uninhabited Skellig Michael


message 267: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments My original post had a broken link, so here it is again.
Robert Dugoni's latest, Her Deadly Game, is a courtroom drama with a good investigative dilemma at the heart and a most intriguing solution.
Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni 3.5~4★ My review of Her Deadly Game

If you're a NetGalley reviewer, it's on NetGalley until 11 April.


message 268: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments One of America's most celebrated black authors, James Baldwin wrote Sonny's Blues in 1957 about Harlem, drugs, music, and two brothers. Another memorable Baldwin story.
Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin 5★ My review of Sonny's Blues with a link to the story online


message 269: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments A Good Man Is Hard To Find: Short Story by Flannery O'Connor is a thought-provoking and startling story that has nothing to do with someone seeking romance!
A Good Man Is Hard To Find Short Story by Flannery O'Connor 5★ My review of A Good Man is Hard to Find with a link to the story online


message 270: by Pippa (new)

Pippa Elliott | 97 comments Just finished The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola and about to start When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman


message 271: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments I just started

True History of the Kelly Gang

I started it this afternoon and so far so good.


message 272: by Pippa (new)

Pippa Elliott | 97 comments Pippa wrote: "The Clockwork Girl
A slow starter but has now hit its stride and enjoying the read so far..."


Finished strongly and it tied up all the loose ends in a very satisfying way :-)
It seems there is a fashion for Victorian gothic thrillers at the moment. Funny how so many seem to be on the market at the same time. I love novels set in 19th century, so the gothic bit is an add-on for me - but when done well I don't mind it.


message 273: by Margaret (new)

Margaret Crampton (cramptonmargaret) | 8159 comments I’m
Reading the grain brain


message 274: by Patty (new)

Patty Mccormick | 8 comments I just got an ARC copy of Lisa See’s new book to be released in June. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. She is one of my favorite writers and so far I am really enjoying it!


message 275: by Alice (new)

Alice | 6456 comments I finished a wonderful book A Marriage of Lions A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Set in 13th Century England. The book covers the life of Joanna who marries on of King Henry III's borthers. Wonder insight into life in the 13 century. Beautifully written. I highly recommend.


message 276: by Sarah-Hope (new)

Sarah-Hope | 124 comments Thoroughly enjoyed Murder Under a Red Moon Murder Under a Red Moon (Kaveri & Ramu #2) by Harini Nagendra , the second volume in promising Bangalore Detectives Club series. It offers an interesting, socially complex picture of life (particularly for women) in 1920s India.

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


message 277: by Sarah-Hope (new)

Sarah-Hope | 124 comments Just finished Playing it Safe, the third volume in Ashley Weaver's Electra McDonnell mystery series set in WWII Britain. The characters—a mix of petty criminals and British military—are delightful and the mystery underlying the volume is solid.

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


message 278: by Abigail (new)

Abigail Bok (regency_reader) | 783 comments Currently reading a couple of Golden Age mysteries, Crossed Skis and Surfeit of Suspects, as well as a pair of stories by Mary Stewart, The Wind Off the Small Isles and The Lost One. I got bumped off this thread a couple of weeks ago (grrr, Goodreads) and have skipped about 5 books.


message 279: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments Alice wrote: "I finished a wonderful book A Marriage of Lions A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Set in 13th Century England. The book covers the life of Joanna who ..."


My library does not have Marriage of Lions. Are there any others by the same author that you recommend?


message 280: by Herman (new)

Herman | 30 comments Joan Slonczewski The Children Star


message 281: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (mimbza) | 74 comments Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a feminist historical fiction set in the 1950s featuring scientist Elizabeth Zott who becomes a TV cooking show host. Her male bosses have a sweetly feminine show in mind but Elizabeth is a chemist and she has a different idea about how things will run.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review


message 282: by Joan (new)

Joan | 25 comments Rachel wrote: "Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie GarmusLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a feminist historical fiction set in the 1950s featuring scientist Elizabeth Zott..."

I gave this book 5 stars and this was my review:
I bought this book months ago and kept putting off reading it because I tend to prefer page turner murder mysteries and historical fiction and wasn't sure how this book was going to fit into my normal reading pattern.

I shouldn't have worried about it ... I loved the book and screamed, cried, and laughed out loud with every new event. Elizabeth Zott, the main character, is a woman in the 1950s and 1960s who is way ahead of her time and knows she is meant to be a chemist and not a housewife and not in any way dependent upon a man for her self worth. She is extremely intelligent and won't be told otherwise by men. She only finds acceptance as an equal in the one man she falls in love with who is also a chemist.

She is surrounded by super intelligent beings...including an unplanned daughter and a dog who finds her. She names the dog six-thirty because that is the time he attached himself to her and her boyfriend. I got a kick out of the fact that we soon learn the dog is probably as intelligent as she is and recognizes her intelligence. It turns out he was a puppy in training to be a bomb sniffing dog. His task was to find bombs and then if needed lay on the device to protect the humans if it went off. He was smart enough to think heck no..I'm running in the opposite direction. Smart dog.


message 283: by Helen (new)

Helen Geng (hgeng63) | 12 comments Rachel wrote: "Alice wrote: "I finished a wonderful book A Marriage of Lions A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Set in 13th Century England. The book covers the life ..."


I recommend Chadwick’s Shadows & Strongholds. I think it’s the rare book that all genders can read & enjoy.
Chadwick is a member of the UK equivalent of The Society for Creative Anachronism.


message 284: by Alice (new)

Alice | 6456 comments Rachel wrote: "Alice wrote: "I finished a woThe Greatest Knightnderful book A Marriage of Lions A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Set in 13th Century England. The book covers the life ..."


My favorite book is The Greatest Knight about the life of William Marshall.

My second favorite is A Place Beyond Courage about William Marshall's father John Marshall.

Truthfully I love all her books but those two are my favorite


message 285: by Karen (new)

Karen | 10 comments I Just Finished Angie Kim's Ambitious & Clever new novel called, "Happiness Falls," (She wrote the Wonderful novel Miracle Creek) Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 287: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments Alice wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Alice wrote: "I finished a woThe Greatest Knightnderful book A Marriage of Lions A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Set in..."


Alice wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Alice wrote: "I finished a woThe Greatest Knightnderful book A Marriage of Lions A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Set in..."



Thanks I will look into those books.


message 288: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments Alice wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Alice wrote: "I finished a woThe Greatest Knightnderful book A Marriage of Lions A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Set in..."


My library has a Place Beyond Courage and I put it on my wish list.


message 289: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments Joan wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie GarmusLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a feminist historical fiction set in the 1950s featuring scientist..."

Lessons in Chemistry is now on my wish list.


message 290: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments Karen wrote: "I Just Finished Angie Kim's Ambitious & Clever new novel called, "Happiness Falls," (She wrote the Wonderful novel Miracle Creek) Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

My library does not have that title in e books so I put Miracle Creek on my wish list.


message 291: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments Hello Beautiful is the catch-phrase of the father of four sisters in Ann Napolitano's latest novel, which covers about fifty years. Love, anger, strong differences of opinion, even death - it's all here.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano 3.5~3★ My review of Hello Beautiful


message 292: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments Revelation is a 1964 short story by Flannery O'Connor about a bigoted woman in the US South who is forced to face a rather uncomfortable truth.
Revelation by Flannery O'Connor 3.5~4★ My review of Revelation with a link to the story itself.


message 293: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (mimbza) | 74 comments Joan wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie GarmusLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a feminist historical fiction set in the 1950s featuring scientist..."

I loved Six-Thirty, what a great character!!


message 294: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (mimbza) | 74 comments The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is the first book translated from Farsi to be shortlisted for the International Booker award. It is written by Iranian author Shokoofeh Azar who fled to Australia as a refugee when her book was banned in her home country. The story is an historical fiction with strong elements of magical realism and Persian mythology. It tells us about a family from whose lives are turned upside down after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Here is my review.


message 295: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments I read your review Rachel. It sounds like a great book that would be hard to read because of the brutality of the political situation.


message 296: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Hello Beautiful is the catch-phrase of the father of four sisters in Ann Napolitano's latest novel, which covers about fifty years. Love, anger, strong differences o..."

I like your review.


message 297: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments Rachel wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Hello Beautiful is the catch-phrase of the father of four sisters in Ann Napolitano's latest novel, which covers about fifty years. Love, an..."

Thanks, Rachel. I see we like a lot of the same books!


message 298: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments The Short Story Club group is reading some classic short stories I've missed. I loved Nikolai Gogol's funny and sad The Overcoat, a famous Russian story, often claimed to be the best of its kind.
The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol 5★ My review of The Overcoat


message 299: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1305 comments Of course I knew of Louis Pasteur, but I had no idea he was responsible for preventing so many diseases (not to mention first figuring out what was spoiling French wines! 😊).
Another great one for the kids (and their ignorant grown-ups).
Louis Pasteur (Little People, BIG DREAMS, 96) by Shelly Laslo 5★ My review of Louis Pasteur with several illustrations


message 300: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (arkinandco) | 289 comments PattyMacDotComma wrote: "The Short Story Club group is reading some classic short stories I've missed. I loved Nikolai Gogol's funny and sad The Overcoat, a famous Russian story, often claimed..."


Good review. I have not read The Overcoat but I did read The Nose by the same author. He had an interesting take on life.


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