What Are You Reading? Part Deux

[HollyGolightly]

Did you read Olive Kittredge? It's also by Elizabeth Strout.

If you haven't read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver then I'd say find a copy. I've read it twice and it's one of my favorite books. There's something about the prose, it's thought-provoking with surprising incidents of side-stitching humor. Each time I'm fully immersed in the rural backwoods of this Kentucky farm; life comes to a crawl and yet the pages fly by to the perfect conclusion.

Ohhh - thank you for the book rec - I haven't read anything else from Strout - I only got it because I saw Amy & Isabelle on a list of must reads for 2017 or some such list, and found it at the GW. I have read The Poisonwood Bible and thought it was fantastic, so I'm up for some more Barbara K too - plus my roots are in backwoods KY. I might have to go ahead and Amazon Prime that one.

I know this was addressed to Holly but thought I'd just tell you I did see the miniseries on HBO with Frances McDormand.

She was at an awards show and I recall her telling the audience "Read the book!" I do believe the miniseries won some sort of award, as she was up on stage with a bunch of others when she said that.

Now I'll have to see whether this can be checked out of my library here - so many good books out there!

Oh shoot _ I forgot to add the quote Doc Creed

I did not know about the series either, but Frances McDormand is a great actor! I loved her in Fargo and 3 Billboards. I'll try to find that to stream on HBO.

 

[Toni_S_UK]

Damn, you're devouring the dark tower books, didn't you only finish the gunslinger a few weeks ago? We all know the feeling, once it grips you it's a strong hold. Did you read wind through the keyhole as book 4.5 or save it? If you saved it for book 8 then that's the perfect way to ease yourself out of them.

The Dark Tower is an awesome journey. Glad you're enjoying it.

I've finished, that one went really quickly Will start book 7 next week

 

[do1you9love?]

So I am finally reading Origin by Dan Brown. I put a hold on the kindle version from my library on... wait for it...

January 14th!! That's right folks, 111 days later! They had 60 copies and I was 150+ in line! So anyway, it is an interesting read. Typical Dan Brown format and twists. I do appreciate his attention to detail when describing a work of art.

 

[Kurben]

Finished A Mind To Murder by P.D. James. One of her early ones (1963) long before she got a bit too wordy but also before she got really good but definitely worth reading. She is here in the same phase as Christie was in the early 20-ties. Learning her trade.

 

[GNTLGNT]

....just finished the signed and numbered edition of this....quick little read with a mild twist on Lycanthropy....neatest part?...it was a freebie from CD!!!.....

 

[urrutiap]

I finished David Drake's Queen of Demons couple of days ago.

Then I read Star Trek New Earth Book 1. Decent series involving Kirk and gang taking place after the original Motion Picture movie.


Now I'm reading John Grishams Litigators. But I swear I read it before or something from checking out a copy from the library

 

[Doc Creed]

Started The Stuarts by John Miller. An Oxford history professor. He's a bit on the dry side but full of facts not just of the persons, James I, Charles I, Charles II, James II, William III and Mary II and finally Queen Anne. Since Cromwell is in the middle of all that he is handled in chapter called Interregnum. hes also sees a bigger picture. What they managed to do. In the book i recently read about the Tudors i was disappointed in the treatment of Elisabeth because it focused solely on her being blindly in love with Robert Dudley and her problems with succession but she ruled for 45 years and did have policys she instigated on many other areas which wasn't mentioned. Surprising considering that she(the author) did not fall into that trap with her father andd Grandfather (Henry VII and VIII). This book has already said more things about Elisabeth in the first chapter, Inheritance, than that book did.

Kurben, could you recommend some fiction about The Tudors, I'm not quite ready for any heavy reading of history so I'd rather read a novel. The only author that comes to mind is Philippa Gregory and she's a romance author. I do like Edward Rutherford novels, can you think of anything in his league? Thanks.
Oh...and have fun in Crete.

 

[Doc Creed]

....just finished the signed and numbered edition of this....quick little read with a mild twist on Lycanthropy....neatest part?...it was a freebie from CD!!!.....

Was it scary? How was it?

 

[Blake]

1951 EQ magazine-Australian edition. Dark Mountain by Laymon.

 

[Tery]

Kurben, could you recommend some fiction about The Tudors, I'm not quite ready for any heavy reading of history so I'd rather read a novel. The only author that comes to mind is Philippa Gregory and she's a romance author. I do like Edward Rutherford novels, can you think of anything in his league? Thanks.
Oh...and have fun in Crete.

It's not fiction but it's a fascinating book about Henry VIII and why his wives suffered from so many miscarriages and sickly children:

 

[GNTLGNT]

Was it scary? How was it?

...not scary, but a well paced and easy to digest read....

 

[Neesy]

It's not fiction but it's a fascinating book about Henry VIII and why his wives suffered from so many miscarriages and sickly children:

That was interesting!

Did Blood Cause Henry VIII’s Madness and Reproductive Woes? - History in the Headlines

Thanks!

 

[RichardX]

A couple of good Japanese novels by Hideo Yokoyama. "64" is a kind of detective novel surrounding a botched kidnapping investigation but the book is more about the bureaucratic police culture. At 500 plus pages that sounds perhaps a bit dry but it's a fascinating insight into Japanese culture. "Seventeen" is based around newspaper coverage of a Japanese air disaster back in the 1980s. Again not the typical plot but an interesting story.

In the Japanese Hit ‘Six Four,’ a Police Inspector Weighs Questions of Loyalty - The New York Times

 

[Blake]

different books. sports stuff.

 

[Neesy]

Was it scary? How was it?

...not scary, but a well paced and easy to digest read....

I'm taking a break from scary at the moment - reading a mystery novel set in the Scottish highlands

The author has a series of books about a policeman named Hamish Macbeth - light reading but I like reading about the people.

Nobody loves an honest man, or that was what police sergeant Hamish Macbeth tried to tell newcomer Paul English. Paul had moved to a house in Cnothan, a sour village on Hamish's beat.

He attended church in Lochdubh. He told the minister, Mr. Wellington, that his sermons were boring. He told tweedy Mrs. Wellington that she was too fat and in these days of increasing obesity it was her duty to show a good example. Angela Brody was told her detective stories were pap for the masses and it was time she wrote literature instead. He accused Hamish of having dyed his fiery red hair. He told Jessie Currie--who repeated all the last words of her twin sister--that she needed psychiatric help.

"I speak as I find," he bragged. Voices saying, "I could kill that man," could be heard from Lochdubh to Cnothan.

And someone did.

Now Hamish is faced with a bewildering array of suspects. And he's lost the services of his clumsy policeman, Charlie, who has resigned from the force after Chief Inspector Blair berated Charlie one too many times, and the policeman threw Blair into the loch. Can Hamish find the killer on his own?

 

[Mary Strickland]

Used my library card the first time this year and read "The Midnight Line" by Lee Child and it actually had a plot beyond bus rides and fist fights.

 

[Mary Strickland]

Finally got the reserved David Baldacci book, "The Fallen". So far, this book is OK but not as good as some of the others yet. This book and the Lee Child book are loosely based on problems arising from the current widespread opioid usage. Be glad when that is over, or was it ever gone?

 

[Tery]

Done with It and Star Island by Carl Hiaasen. Might grab another Hiaasen book from the shelf. I love how he creates characters and puts them in the weirdest plots

 

[kingricefan]

Started my very first ever John D. MacDonald book- April Evil. It's really outdated but I'm liking his 'voice' so far. Already read 1/3 of it in one sitting yesterday.

 

[do1you9love?]

Started my very first ever John D. MacDonald book- April Evil. It's really outdated but I'm liking his 'voice' so far. Already read 1/3 of it in one sitting yesterday.

I just discovered him recently, too! So far, I've been really impressed and can understand why Uncle Steve and so many other folks mention him so often!