Literature What are you currently reading?

[Lou]

I got burned out on Terry Brooks Shanarra series. I'm not sure how many of them I read - but I read a lot but not all of them. I think later on I wanted to pick up where I left off but I couldn't figure out where I had left off.

However I loved the Word and Void series. It left me wanting more. Just now looking at Brooks' bibliography - maybe I should check out the The Genesis of Shannara series, which is sort of a bridge between Word and Shannara.

I also read the entire Magic Kingdom series. Its much better than you would expect from reading the dust jacket's blurb.

I also tried to get into the TV show, The Chronicles of Shannara, but it failed to keep my interest.

Speaking of a male author writing from a female's perspective, John Irving puts on a clinic on the subject in the novel, Widow For A Year. Towards the end of the book I was laughing and crying at the same time. Another thing worth mentioning is the film, A Door in the Floor, is an adaption of the first third of the book.

 

[Chryssie]

I might have to check out Terry Brooks other stuff. I know he is very popular and I have heard of him but somehow never read any of his books. Maybe because they are a series and that is a commitment that is hard to do.

 

[Mischief]

I' m just starting the eighth book of the 14 book Wheel of Time series. I think I' m going to take a break after book 10 (I already have 9 and 10 checked out). I find series of books comforting, especially when life is stressful, because it's like hanging out with old friends, but since most of these are 40+ hours, I think a bit of a break is in order.

 

[Emma JC]

I finished another Randy Wayne White Doc Ford book. I was able to find the very first book in the series after not really liking the one I read because I didn't know the characters. There are 25 or more books in this series so I wanted to start from the beginning. I enjoyed this one quite a lot even though it is old and many things are outdated. It was first published in 1990 and a paperback was re-issued which is why the library even had it. It is called "Sanibel Flats". There are some disturbing things concerning animal research which you can skim by. Doc Ford is a marine biologist and the work he does involves fishing and other things I won't mention. But the story was pretty good and I might read more if I run across them at the library.

Thank you for this recommendation - I was able to read Sanibel Flats and now am on some of the later ones - the characters are interesting and the topics too - not sure how many I will read. Still reading Recursion too... very complex and fascinating.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Chryssie]

I just finished "The Altamonte Hotel" which is a historical fiction novel by Marjorie A Pollard. I am very interested in local history and this book is filled with it taking place in the late 1890's. My sister lives in Altamonte Springs (a suburb of Orlando) so I was excited to find this book about the very early days of that city. The main character is a very strong, independent woman who runs the Altamonte Hotel. There are many well known historical people in the book such as Teddy Roosevelt as it has a lot of information on the Spanish American War. I wish I could say I loved this book! While the story was interesting and the history fascinating, I found the writing boring and uninteresting. The conversations were weirdly formal, though maybe people back then did talk like that. I don't know. I kept thinking, the writing is BAD, but kept reading anyway. The history was good at least.

 

[Emma JC]

read a newer Spenser book by Ace Atkins - if anyone else was a Robert B Parker fan, like me (I have read them all) then you will enjoy the continuation of the Spenser series as the estate of Robert B Parker asked him to continue writing

I am also reading Dean Koontz new book Quick Silver and am enjoying it so far and still reading a Doc Ford book on my phone.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Chryssie]

Finished a memoir called "Being Seen, One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism", by Elsa Sjunneson. It was published last year and she talks about a lot of current issues. It was an enlightening read about this young (36) woman's hardships being a disabled person. Her disabilities were caused by her mother contracting German measles while pregnant and Elsa blames the unvaccinated for this. She is an activist and a writer and this book is eye opening.

 

[Tom L.]

I am going to get "Dark Matter" when I finish this stack of books I have now!

There was one passage in it which I found disturbing:

Spoiler

In one of the realities they visit, there is a pandemic going on- much worse than the Covid19 problem we're dealing with right now. The only treatment they have is to give someone easy-to-use autoinjectors with a painless but fatal dose of anesthetic. The father/husband character gives his wife's alternate in this reality the treatment.[/quote]

 

[Chryssie]

I just finished "Firekeeper's Daughter" by Angeline Boulley who is a member of the Cherokee Nation and lives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where this book takes place. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the US Dept. of Education. While this book is a work of fiction, the details about Native American culture of that area is very informative. The story is about a young half NA, half white woman who gets drawn into an investigation by the FBI about drugs. It is an exciting story and pulls you in and I thought it was amazing!

 

[Emma JC]

I just finished "Firekeeper's Daughter" by Angeline Boulley who is a member of the Cherokee Nation and lives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where this book takes place. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the US Dept. of Education. While this book is a work of fiction, the details about Native American culture of that area is very informative. The story is about a young half NA, half white woman who gets drawn into an investigation by the FBI about drugs. It is an exciting story and pulls you in and I thought it was amazing!

it is still on my Hold's shelf...

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[HappyRoxy]

The Ripping Tree by Nikki Gemmel. It's fictional Australian history.....but I'm sure it's based on some historical fact. The English did not treat the indigenous Australians very well at all in some cases. And that's putting it lightly. It's quite a sad novel, but it keeps me intrigued.

 

[Emma JC]

Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub from the 1980's - I read an interesting tweet yesterday about a guy who was cleaning out his parent's home and came across this book from his teen years and said it was a book that changed his life as after he read it he decided he wished to also be a writer, as it was so well written, he said if he hadn't made the decision he wouldn't have met his wife or have his son etc.... I love those pivotal points in life stories.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Emma JC]

Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub from the 1980's - I read an interesting tweet yesterday about a guy who was cleaning out his parent's home and came across this book from his teen years and said it was a book that changed his life as after he read it he decided he wished to also be a writer, as it was so well written, he said if he hadn't made the decision he wouldn't have met his wife or have his son etc.... I love those pivotal points in life stories.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

I finally finished this (3000 pages long) with a lot of 'skipping' - it is a good story just very long, very descriptive and I don't think I will read the follow up book as this was enough for me.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Chryssie]

Finished a memoir called "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner. It is a tribute to Michelle's Korean mother and is very moving. H Mart is an Asian supermarket chain and food is the bonding factor with Michelle and her mother. Michelle's father is a white American and she grew up trying to navigate both cultures. There is a lot of cooking Korean dishes in this book and it is far from vegan! I enjoy reading about other cultures and this book was a good read.

 

[Emma JC]

have started Louise Penny's latest - The Madness of Crowds

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[PTree15]

read a newer Spenser book by Ace Atkins - if anyone else was a Robert B Parker fan, like me (I have read them all) then you will enjoy the continuation of the Spenser series as the estate of Robert B Parker asked him to continue writing

I am also reading Dean Koontz new book Quick Silver and am enjoying it so far and still reading a Doc Ford book on my phone.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

Oh, I will have to check out the new Spenser book. I read all the Spenser books, too!

 

[Emma JC]

found a new author, Emily Henry, and am reading her People we Meet on Vacation - it is very interesting and I see she has a few other books so will put some Holds on them

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Chryssie]

I read "Alien Morning" by Rick Wilbur. It was about an alien invasion, but was different from the typical invasion story. It was pretty good and on the jacket stated it was the first of a trilogy so now I have to find the other books.

 

[Mischief]

I read  Dark Matter last week, and really liked the first 3/4 of the book. The last part I found really disappointing, for reasons I won't go into because I can't remember how to do spoilers on here.

I also read John Sandford's latest, The Investigator, which starts a new series focused on Letty Davenport, the daughter of Lucas Davenport. I find Sandford to be a very consistently enjoyable writer.

I also read Blood Sugar, about a woman who is accused of serial murder. The trouble is, she didn't kill her husband, for whose death she stands trial, although she did kill the other three people she's suspected of killing. She really likes animals, and she doesn't take killing to an extreme -- only one killing every ten years or so. An enjoyable read.

Emily St. John Mandel's latest, Sea of Tranquility, is very good. There's time travel, a pandemic, lives that intersect in unexpected ways. I think it's my second favorite of her books, after Station 11.

Now I'm back into the Wheel of Time series.

Almost forgot: Give Unto Others, the latest in Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series. I think it's one of the best in the series, and, as always, the city of Venice is as important in the books as the characters themselves. Current social issues always play an important role. I would highly recommend this series.

 

[PTree15]

...
I also read John Sandford's latest, The Investigator, which starts a new series focused on Letty Davenport, the daughter of Lucas Davenport. I find Sandford to be a very consistently enjoyable writer.
...

It's been a while since I read any John Sandford. I'll have to check this one out.