Literature What are you currently reading?

[Emma JC]

I have been reading a new author, for me, Jacqueline Winspear. She has a series with her main character Maisie Dobbs and has a few non-series books as well. They take place in World War I and II and I am enjoying them although I am having to read out of order as my library doesn't have them all available. Maisie is a very interesting "pulled up by her own bootstraps" character. Read one of her WW I stand-alone books yesterday and although it was very good it was also sad but realistic. She doesn't shrink from reality.

Emma JC

 

[Lou]

Squeeze Me
by Carl Hiassen

for those of you who don't know who Carl Hiassen is, he is a South Florida humourous crime story novelist. He has written 14 crime story novels and 6 YA novels. Most (if not all) of his books take place mostly in South Florida.

My mom turned me on to him when she lived in South Florida and I got in the habit of reading his books whenever I came to visit her (almost every year for ten years). Hiassen references cities, towns, higways, bridges, beaches, parks, and even turnpike exits in his book so it was a good introduction to Florida geography at first and then just became a fun way to revisit and reminisce about places I had been.

Hiassen's books have crime as a central element but his villains are always absurd. Hiassen is pretty much in the same league as Donald Westlake and Elmore Leonard. Dave Barry, another South Florida writer is a Hiassen fan to the point of writing books similar in style and content.

Squeeze Me is brand new. It takes place in and around Palm Beach. A slightly disguised Donald and Ivanka Trump are main characters. Only referred to by their Secret Service names, Mastodon and Mockingbird.

 

[Lou]

Troubled Blood
by Robert Galbraith.

Worst kept secret: Robert Galbraith is the pseudonym of JK Rowling. And Troubled Blood is the fifth Cormornan Strike novel.

Strike is a PI in modern-day London. Robin is his assistant. Every reader is rooting for Cormoran and Robin to get together. So far they haven't and its getting annoying.

I haven't even started this book yet. I just got it last week and I'll start reading it today. I only get to have it for two more weeks and since its a new book I can't renew it. And its 1000 pages.

 

[Chryssie]

I finished the book "She Would Be King." It was very interesting and went into supernatural subjects which are probably based on Liberian folklore.
I am now reading another William Kent Krueger novel called "Desolation Mountain." This is a crime thriller also taking place in Minnesota in current times. He has written a few books with the same characters which I will have to read too. I have enjoyed every one of his books so far!

 

[Lou]

Troubled Blood
by Robert Galbraith.

The first 4 strike novels have been made into TV shows. I watched the first 3 and they are absolutely great. Robin and Cormoran are perfectly cast.
For those of you who have access to British TV you can watch it for free. Its also available on Amazon, Hulu, and Cinemax.
I think I'm going to watch the fourth one now as sort of a review before I start reading the last one.

 

[Raven]

I like to read spooky/mystery books at this time of year. I just read The Unwanted Guest - Shari Lapena. That was really good, I read it in one go as I wanted to know who the killer was.

Now I'm half way through The Stranger Diaries - Elly Griffiths.

 

[Chryssie]

I am currently reading a collection of stories by YA fantasy author Tamora Peirce. I enjoyed the series I read before and found this one at the library. The stories are about the same world as the other books.

 

[Raven]

^ Some YA books are quite good.

I was just watching a YouTuber I follow and I didn't realise there was a new Twilight book out. Midnight Sun - it's written from Edward's perspective. I've put it on my wish list.

I did buy another book she mentioned. Nightmares - The Dark Side of Dreams and Dreaming. I bought the hard cover as I thought it would be the type of book I would want to keep and refer to. I will probably keep it by my bed.

 

[Chryssie]

I read a lot of YA books! They are usually very well written interesting stories and a fast read!

 

[Lou]

I am currently reading a collection of stories by YA fantasy author Tamora Peirce. I enjoyed the series I read before and found this one at the library. The stories are about the same world as the other books.

Tamora Pierce is one of my favorite authors. I think I have read everything she wrote. some of it twice. I would read her shopping lists if she published them.

Last winter I found that Hoopla has some of her older books in audiobooks formats. She narrated some of them. I used them as bedtime stories. The issue I usually have with bedtime stories is that if I fall asleep during them i have trouble finding where I left off. but since I've read all these books before it doesn't really matter.

i also found that some of her audiobooks are called "Full Cast Audiobooks".

Tamora Pierce – Full Cast Audio

fullcastaudio.com

Pierce's Full cast audio books include 30 different people and the voices belonging to children are read by child actors. How cool is that?

Literature - What are you currently reading?

Added that to my list!

www.veganforum.org

 

[Sax]

I'm about halfway through A Gentleman in Moscow. I'm taking my time with it, mostly just reading on my lunch breaks.

A friend recently recommended Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and I'm also interested in The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie...have any of you read one or both of them? Thoughts?

 

[Lou]

I'm about halfway through A Gentleman in Moscow. I'm taking my time with it, mostly just reading on my lunch breaks.

A friend recently recommended Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and I'm also interested in The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie...have any of you read one or both of them? Thoughts?

I am pretty sure I started Assasin's Apprentice but never finished it.... I can't remember why.
Just a guess is that it is a part of a series and I didn't have the other books and just put it aside till i got them.

but I just got notified that an author we both like has a new book.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Book​

by Harari, Yuval N.

oh shoot when i looked it up, see another one

Homo Deus, A Brief History of Tomorrow​

by Harari, Yuval N.

 

[Raven]

Now I'm half way through The Stranger Diaries - Elly Griffiths.

I finished that today and I just bought the next one called The Postscript Murders.

 

[Raven]

I'm sure I have heard of the book Assassin's Apprentice but reading the storyline it doesn't sound familiar so I don't think I have ever read it.

 

[Emma JC]

Got the new Carl Hiaasen novel, Squeeze Me from the library a few days ago.

Thank you for bringing Carl Hiaasen to my attention. I have been reading him and am on my third book of his. Although it seems a bit juvenile I enjoy them because they usually highlight a certain "cause" and so I learn about flora or fauna or specific animals etc Also the characters have some depth (not the really bad guys) and there is often a theme of redemption for at least one of the characters.

Emma JC

 

[Lou]

Thank you for bringing Carl Hiaasen to my attention. I have been reading him and am on my third book of his. Although it seems a bit juvenile I enjoy them because they usually highlight a certain "cause" and so I learn about flora or fauna or specific animals etc Also the characters have some depth (not the really bad guys) and there is often a theme of redemption for at least one of the characters.

Emma JC

And you learn about Florida.
It's good stuff to read during bad times. It makes me laugh. You may try Donald Westlake or Elmore Leonard.
Same stuff. Different flavor.
And for a more female perspective - Janet Evanovich's One For the Money.

 

[Emma JC]

And you learn about Florida.
It's good stuff to read during bad times. It makes me laugh. You may try Donald Westlake or Elmore Leonard.
Same stuff. Different flavor.
And for a more female perspective - Janet Evanovich's One For the Money.

yes, I have read all of Evanovich's books and they are fun too

I will look up the others to see if I have read them.

Have you read the Robert Parker books?

Emma JC

 

[Lou]

yes, I have read all of Evanovich's books and they are fun too

I will look up the others to see if I have read them.

Have you read the Robert Parker books?

Emma JC

No, i have not. Not sure I even heard of him before. I just looked him up on Wikipedia. Do you have a specific book recommendation. I see he has a few different series.

 

[Chryssie]

I have read several of Robert Parker's books, mainly the Spenser series which was made into a TV show back in the 80's.

Spenser: For Hire (TV Series 1985–1988) ⭐ 7.3 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

1h | TV-14

www.imdb.com

 

[Emma JC]

No, i have not. Not sure I even heard of him before. I just looked him up on Wikipedia. Do you have a specific book recommendation. I see he has a few different series.

yes, the Spenser series, as @Chryssie says, is the best one - I just love Spenser... although you can easily read them in any order (there are tons of them) it would be good to start as close to the beginning as you can - all the series are great and some of the characters show up in other series

also the Jesse Stone series, which is also a television series with Tom Selleck playing the lead role

there really isn't a bad Robert Parker book and there are authors that have carried on his various series' after his death - here is a link to his website so you can see just how many books there are Author of the Spenser Novels - Robert B. Parker

Emma JC