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What are you reading? Do you recommend it?
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Susan
(new)
Aug 13, 2011 04:57PM
Currently reading Shattered by Karen Robards and its very very good!!
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I'm reading The Magdalena Curse by F.G. Cottam. If you enjoy a modern day mystery/thriller with a touch of paranormal and a hint of horror, this would be for you. His previous books were very good too, both with paranormal aspects. All are set in the British Isles.
I am currently reading World War Z but it is a little to soon to say if I would recommend it or not.
I am currently reading Thirteen Million Dollar Pop: A Frank Behr Novel. This is the third book in this series. If you are a fan of Harry Bosch you will love Frank Behr. I have to admit, I enjoy the fact that the books are set in Indianapolis, my hometown.
I am reading Reginald Hill's new novel The Woodcutter, which is almost annoying enough to make me put it down.
Susan wrote: "I am reading Reginald Hill's new novel The Woodcutter, which is almost annoying enough to make me put it down."Oh what a pest! I hate that will I / won't I quit this book feeling...
Susan wrote: "I am reading Reginald Hill's new novel The Woodcutter, which is almost annoying enough to make me put it down."Susan....is it one of the Pasco/Dalziel series? I have loved those books.
Jill wrote: "Susan wrote: "I am reading Reginald Hill's new novel The Woodcutter, which is almost annoying enough to make me put it down."Susan....is it one of the Pasco/Dalziel series? I have loved those books." No-- it is a fantasy-like (improbable) vaguely funny stand-alone rags and riches and rags tale. I'm not sure what Hill is trying to get at.
His books are usually well done.....maybe he should stick to his series mysteries. Thanks for the heads up....I probably won't try it.
I've just finished Nina Sankovich's Tolstoy and the Purple, which is a commonplace book made from 365 books she read and commented on over a year to commemorate a sister whose loss had made her inconsolable. Sankovich does mention that mysteries afford the comfort that the world is a rational place.
Susan wrote: "I've just finished Nina Sankovich's Tolstoy and the Purple, which is a commonplace book made from 365 books she read and commented on over a year to commemorate a sister whose loss had made her inc..."Susan, I've noticed that you've had a run of 3-star books lately. Any luck finding a Simenon?
Anne -- I have a Simenon on my Kindle, but will finish that annoying Reginald Hill novel before starting on it.
Susan wrote: "Anne -- I have a Simenon on my Kindle, but will finish that annoying Reginald Hill novel before starting on it."Susan, you're one of those people who must finish a book even tho it annoys you? Well, I think you'll breath a sigh of relief once you start the Simenon. I hope so. And I hope you picked a good one. He was a very prolific writer and wrote a lot of great books and some duds.
Anne wrote: "Susan wrote: "I've just finished Nina Sankovich's Tolstoy and the Purple, which is a commonplace book made from 365 books she read and commented on over a year to commemorate a sister whose loss ha..."To correct two typos: Nina Sankovitch author of TOLSTOY AND THE PURPLE CHAIR. And yes, I do usually finish books, but not always.
Jill wrote: "His books are usually well done.....maybe he should stick to his series mysteries. Thanks for the heads up....I probably won't try it."I recently finished The Woodcutter and thought it was very good. It does take a little bit to get into the story but it was a worthwhile read for me.
Barbara wrote: "How well do you think they adhered to the characters and the plot? "I think the casting and acting in THE HELP movie was spot-on. All the characters looked and acted as I imagined them to be when I was reading the book. The movie followed the plot very well, too. Some things were left out, as always, because the typical book is always much longer than a movie script.
Beth wrote: "Linda wrote: "Ladies, if you are thinking about reading The Help and don't have time to read the actual book, maybe you have time to listen to the audio version. It is amazing, I rea..."Yippee!!! going with a bunch of co-workers tomorrow - I can't wait......
I am finally reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which has been on my TBR pile for three years! Now that I'm actually reading it, I can't believe I waited this long!! What an awesome book, pulled me right in too!!
I am reading:
by
Michael Bond. Bond is also the author of the Paddington Bear books....but this one is for adults. The main character, M. Pamplemousse is a reviewer for a major dining guide (think Michelin) and a former Surete detective. He, accompanied by his bloodhound Pommes Frittes, is always finding himself in the midst of a mystery and must investigate. This series is lots of fun for a light read.
Review for Dumpster Dying, by Lesley A. Diehl.
Cozy, woman amateur sleuth
Publisher: Oak Tree Press, Taylorville, IL
ISBN: 978-1-51009-006-3
Trade paperback $14.95
Emily Rhodes is, as Detective Stanton Lewis likes to think, “Not much bigger than one of Santa’s Elves.” She’s petite and blond, cute as a button, on the young side of fifty and on the wrong side of luck when her love of ten years keels over from a heart attack.
Bartending at the Big Lake Country Club in the heart of Florida cowboy country seems like a fit, she gets paid, likes her boss Carla, and there’s always golf with some girlfriends when she can work it in.
Unfortunately, life gets complicated after a late night shift and the garbage that won’t fit into the dumpster soon shows why: there’s the body of a nasty customer in it. She has every intention of calling the police, but the door is locked behind her, leaving her stranded without keys or cell phone. Fortunately, the local deputies show up because someone anonymously called it in, and doesn’t she look sweet for the crime?
But, as they say, wait…. It gets better. The good news is that her boss, Carla, used to be a practicing attorney, and with the chutzpa of Godzilla, manages to spring Emily from the local police station. The bad news is that Carla soon becomes a suspect because, like most people in town, she hated the guy. And, to add to Emily’s stress, it looks like she’s going to have to fight her lover’s ex in court for his modest home and meager estate, and where’s she going to get the money for an attorney? Carla’s dad, despite living in a rest home so he’ll have women to chase, is still a practicing attorney, or at least he is when he’s interested, or likes the client. He likes Emily, so as a favor he decides to represent her against the ex-wife and the possible arraignment for murder.
I was charmed by the family dynamics in this book; Emily and her newly found biological daughter, and Carla, her dad and her son. There was enough humor to keep me giggling at the author’s asides about the men in the story and I was also pleased to see that Emily, who generally greets a frightful situation with hiccups, grows into a resourceful and competent amateur sleuth.Ultimately, it’s Emily’s boss, Carla, and her troubled teenaged son’s past that will become the focus of a complicated history that sweeps all of them up into a maelstrom of murder.
The plotting is tight and I loved the author's quick wit, so I'm adding this book as one of my few highly recommended reviews.
RP Dahlke, author of the Lalla Bains mystery series
Amazon/Kindle:http://tinyurl.com/6hdg3bf
Cozy, woman amateur sleuth
Publisher: Oak Tree Press, Taylorville, IL
ISBN: 978-1-51009-006-3
Trade paperback $14.95
Emily Rhodes is, as Detective Stanton Lewis likes to think, “Not much bigger than one of Santa’s Elves.” She’s petite and blond, cute as a button, on the young side of fifty and on the wrong side of luck when her love of ten years keels over from a heart attack.
Bartending at the Big Lake Country Club in the heart of Florida cowboy country seems like a fit, she gets paid, likes her boss Carla, and there’s always golf with some girlfriends when she can work it in.
Unfortunately, life gets complicated after a late night shift and the garbage that won’t fit into the dumpster soon shows why: there’s the body of a nasty customer in it. She has every intention of calling the police, but the door is locked behind her, leaving her stranded without keys or cell phone. Fortunately, the local deputies show up because someone anonymously called it in, and doesn’t she look sweet for the crime?
But, as they say, wait…. It gets better. The good news is that her boss, Carla, used to be a practicing attorney, and with the chutzpa of Godzilla, manages to spring Emily from the local police station. The bad news is that Carla soon becomes a suspect because, like most people in town, she hated the guy. And, to add to Emily’s stress, it looks like she’s going to have to fight her lover’s ex in court for his modest home and meager estate, and where’s she going to get the money for an attorney? Carla’s dad, despite living in a rest home so he’ll have women to chase, is still a practicing attorney, or at least he is when he’s interested, or likes the client. He likes Emily, so as a favor he decides to represent her against the ex-wife and the possible arraignment for murder.
I was charmed by the family dynamics in this book; Emily and her newly found biological daughter, and Carla, her dad and her son. There was enough humor to keep me giggling at the author’s asides about the men in the story and I was also pleased to see that Emily, who generally greets a frightful situation with hiccups, grows into a resourceful and competent amateur sleuth.Ultimately, it’s Emily’s boss, Carla, and her troubled teenaged son’s past that will become the focus of a complicated history that sweeps all of them up into a maelstrom of murder.
The plotting is tight and I loved the author's quick wit, so I'm adding this book as one of my few highly recommended reviews.
RP Dahlke, author of the Lalla Bains mystery series
Amazon/Kindle:http://tinyurl.com/6hdg3bf
Hi! I'm DM Coffman, author of The Hainan Incident--a suspense thriller set in China about an American attorney sent there to weed out corruption. I love a good, fast-paced mystery/thriller, but don't like offensive language or very graphic sex/violence. If you feel the same, I hope you'll check this book out and let me know what you think.
Just started Portrait Of A Spy, the latest in Daniel Silva's series about Gabriel Allon, art restorer, spy and past assassin when needed for Mossad. He's now living in England, having cut his ties with his former employer, and working as an art restorer. but can he ignore what is happening in the world around him?This is a very well written thriller series which I recommend reading in order. Not for the faint of heart, there is violence, primarily in the name of serving the greater good of everyone.
I am reading The Hand That Trembles: A Mystery by Kjell Eriksson, a book with so many sad strands that it feels like I'm reading several books at the same time.
The Montalbano tv series on International Mysteries http://www.mhznetworks.org/news/202/ is fabulous! Wonderful actors bring the novels to life.
Sue wrote: "Just started Portrait Of A Spy, the latest in Daniel Silva's series about Gabriel Allon, art restorer, spy and past assassin when needed for Mossad. He's now living in England, havin..."I LOVE the Gabriel Allon series. Silva's stand-alones are good, too.
I just finished Gregg Hurwitz's You're Next. "Mike Wingate, abandoned by his father at four and raised in foster care, is finally living the life he always dreamed of--he's happily married with a precocious 8-year-old daughter, and his construction company is about to finish a "green" housing development that will secure a solid future for them all. But then something from his own past, a past he doesn't even remember, comes back to visit terror upon him and his family.Shady characters begin threatening Mike and, when he reports them, the police seem more interested in Mike's murky past than in protecting him. Now, with Mike, his wife Annabel and daughter Kat suddenly under attack from all sides, Mike turns to Shep, a dangerous man--and Mike's only true friend-- from his childhood days in foster care. Together they will do whatever it takes to protect Mike's family against the hidden men behind the terrifying warning, You're Next." It was a great page-turner, and I highly recommend it! He is a "new" author to me, but I immediately got another one of his, and it too is proving to be a good read.
Deanne wrote: "Reading Coronation by Akunin, very easy to read about Fandorin and what he's up to."Deanne.....Is that Akunin's latest Fandorin book? I have read two of the series and enjoyed them immensely.
I finished The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths. It's the 3rd in a series about an archaeologist, Ruth. Archaeology drew me to the series and Ruth keeps me. She is a great character! I recommend this series to everyone.
Jan wrote: "I finished The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths. It's the 3rd in a series about an archaeologist, Ruth. Archaeology drew me to the series and Ruth keeps me. She ..."Isn't it a great series! I've recommended it to several people and I'm finding that they do like it as I have. I think the series keeps getting stronger.
JillCoronation was the 7th book, I've been on an Akunin fest this week as I've read She lover of death,(No 8) and I've picked up He lover of death(No 9). Have to see if there are any more Fandorin books after this.
Today I'm planning on finishing up Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater.
Deanne wrote: "JillCoronation was the 7th book, I've been on an Akunin fest this week as I've read She lover of death,(No 8) and I've picked up He lover of death(No 9). Have to see if there are any more Fandori..."
Our library only has two of them.....darn!!! I will have to look elsewhere. Thanks for the information.
Jan wrote: "I finished The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths. It's the 3rd in a series about an archaeologist, Ruth. Archaeology drew me to the series and Ruth keeps me. She ..."I have read the first two in this series and I'm on the wait list for the third. I, too, really enjoy Ruth and all her archeology.
Just finished Tess Gerritsen's THE SILENT GIRL. It was great, of course. She never fails to entertain!
Looking forward to that. the library notified me today that the new Kathy Reichs, Flash and Bones, is in for me. It seems that many of the authors I read have books coming out. I guess the pre-holiday rush is starting.
there are new books comin from Charles Todd, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, James Lee Burke, John Sanford, etc. Oh and Robert Parker by way of authors selected to carry on the tradition.
I just finished
by D.B. Henson. The characters are well drawn and there's lots of action. It came out in paperback last month from Simon & Schuster after the author sold 100,000 for the Kindle.
by Howard Haycraft.This is not a mystery book but a book about mysteries....the history of the detective story. Haycraft whose life was devoted to the mystery story goes into detail about the authors of the "golden age". He has very definite opinions about who was a good author and who was not. It is a lot of fun and gives you an inside look at our favorite genre.
The mystery book I'm reading is my own, Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery. It came out in June and I haven't had a chance to read t he whole thing as a published paperback. From the middle to the end, it still makes me cry in several places. It's about 3 kids who were abused and have decided to do something about it, and also an FBI agent and two homicide cops who are trying to find the killers. More of a psychological mystery in many ways. But it does have graphic violence so if you're squeamish...
This week I am reading Shelter Me by Juliette Fay, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, and Evermore by Alyson Noel.
This is, I think, my first post to this group, even though I follow it all the time.I'm in the middle of Lawrence Block's new Matthew Scudder mystery, A Drop of the Hard Stuff and I love it. I love the Scudder series and this is as good as the rest. I've missed Matt!
Just finished Requiem for a Gypsy: A Jana Matinova Investigation by Michael Genelin. Commander Jana is a bit of an action figure grandma who's doing her best to like gypsies. While there is not much description of food or sights, Genelin does convey the bleakness of life in Slovakia, its penetration both by unsettled accounts from WWII and in the permeability of its borders.
Currently rereading Pete Hautman's DRAWING DEAD. First read it maybe twelve years ago. Now reading the ebook edition. Very funny and entertaining.
Just read the latest Tess Gerritsen The Silent Girl. This has some interesting use of Chinese myths and legends and is set in Boston's Chinatown.
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