January 2012 What Are We Reading Now

Happy New Year Everyone. Hope everyone has a good reading year.

Still listening to Open and Shut by David Rsenfelt.
Reading e-book version of The Blackhouse by Peter May.
About 2/3rds of the way through DTB Dregs by Jorn Lier Horst.
Skimming through Playing for Pizza by John Grisham for book group.

Just finished reading Murder at Longbourn. I was expecting the allusions to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but not the connections to Agatha Christie.

Finished Girl with the dragon tattoo Am now reading E, George's What came before he shot her

Happy New Year to everybody. I'm new to this group. I was watching this group and would now like to share my readings with you.

Currently I'm reading The Liar's Lullaby by Meg Gardiner. It's the first Gardiner's I'm reading and so far I like it.

Just finished Call for the Dead, next is A Murder of Quality.
A bit on a le Carre reading spree :)

I read A Cold Day For Murder which I absolutely loved.

I just finished The Liar's Lullaby, next is The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow.

I'm reading The Shadow Patrol. Another addictive John Wells novel!

I'm half way through The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch.

Happy New Year everyone!

# 4 "Just finished reading Murder at Longbourn. I was expecting the allusions to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but not the connections to Agatha Christie."

cbl_tn, sounds interesting.

>12 Porua: I thought it was good, especially considering it's the author's first book. Familiarity with Agatha Christie's works will definitely give readers an advantage in solving the mystery.

Happy New Year everyone! Not much reading over the holidays with all the company so still reading Redbreast by Nesbo.

True Detctives by Jonathan Kellerman

Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton

I'm reading "A Trick of the Light" which is wonderful so far. I love her writing and her characters. In fact, I would read the books just to follow her characters around and see their daily lives. I just wish she would let some of them find a bit more happiness. Sigh.

I am reading Agatha Christie's Nemesis.

The Woodcutter and The Boy in the Suitcase are both excellent mysteries.

Currently reading Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy. You gotta love the pre-order & instead download of Kindle books :D

Finished Dregs by Jorn Lier Horst and, must say, I really enjoyed it. He has written others but this is the first to be translated into English and I'm not sure if this is part of a series or stand-alone. I hope it's part of a series as I really enjoyed the detective (Wisting), the setting, and the mystery. Author is a police detective himself so he knows what he's writing. I will be waiting for the next one in English.

I am part way through The Blackhouse by Peter May and it's very good so far. Setting is on a remote Scottish isle which is still somewhat stuck in the past so that adds interest. Sure have been enjoying these books which are not ARCs but just titles I found wandering about the international mystery/crime sites.

Start Shooting by Charlie Newton

Finished The Drop. It's OK. Finished Unbroken. I'd say it qualifies as a THRILLER. I could not put it down!

Vanish by Tess Gerritsen and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Both are so good!

Christie's Lord Edgware Dies.

I'm going back and forth between A Drink Before the War and Letter from Home. The latter is a stand alone by the author of the Death on Demand series, which takes place circa WWII and is very good!

# 26 mstrust, Lord Edgware Dies was the first Hercule Poirot mystery I read. It was pretty good.

Happy New Year

I am going to start the Dexter series tonight. I haven't watched the tv version. Maybe I will when i'm done.

Tonight I'll read my 15th titles by E. X. Ferrars. I've had her books on the shelf for years. Why didn't I read her before? I'm especially in love with retired Professor Andrew Basnet.

Starting Fear Not by Anne Holt--working my way through the TBR stack.

Will be starting Headstone by Ken Bruen. This his newest book. When I go to bed tonight.

Just started reading The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Hard to believe that Sir Arthur did not like writting the tales of Sherlock and would much rather write historical novels.

About 2/3 of the way through The Black Tower by Louis Bayard, which is set in France in the early 19th century. I really like the characters; they are quite original. My knowledge of French history is, sadly, worse than spotty, but I'm still enjoying the book.

Have just finished the latest I have by Julie Hyzy in her museum series. It's the one about the Civil War re-enactment. I read the first one and was a bit exasperated by the heroine, but I enjoyed this one mainly because I am a retired re-enactor and understood the background. It was a bit of 'let's look at the loonies' but then us old media and Trek fans are used to that in books (with the exception of Sharyn McCrumb and Diana Wynne Jones)

I'll finish E. X. Ferrars's "A Hobby of Murder" today, then begin the search for titles I don't have.

I am currently reading Anne Perry's A Sudden Fearful Death with Inspector Monk and Hester Latterly.

I finished Julie Hyzy's latest White House Chef mystery Affairs of Steak, which I loved, loved, loved! Full review is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/129171#3143555

Just finished a new find: The Shekinah Legacy, absolutely amazing thriller by Gary R. Lindberg, best one I've read in the past year -- exciting and mind-boggling both. Just started Moscow Rules as I catch up the Daniel Silva series. So far I like this one better than The Rembrandt Affair, which I read last year and found just a bit slow and tired compared to the earlier books.

#36, endpapers: If you have a Kindle, several of hers are available at a decent price (as Elizabeth Ferrars). Didn't especially care for the ones with Toby Dyke, but enjoyed Enough to Kill a Horse, and look forward to looking for more. I also have Smoke without Fire on my TBR stack. Any you particularly recommend?

Thanks for your suggestions, dcmurrayb; I don't own a Kindle or a Nook, and don't get me started down that path. "Smoke" is a good one; in fact, the only title I've read so far that I thought was weak is "Foot In The Grave". I just finished "A Hobby of Murder", which I understand is the last Professor Barnet that she wrote. I like him best but haven't yet encountered Toby Dyke. I understand Virginia Freer is a favorite of several readers. I'm just hoping to find more of her books without having to pay for them (PaperbackSwap is my source).

#41 - Thanks for the recommendations endpapers; it's nice to discover a new-to-me author with a decent backlist to go through, and part of the fun is tracking them all down. Think I'll do a little research and start with the Barnet titles.

Not pushing the Kindle - I just recently did a 180 on e-readers myself - hoping it will complement not supplant my current reading habits :). I actually thought it would be most useful for detective/mystery series which I most likely will not re-read and am tired of accumulating stacks of books to get rid of, but prices are still a bit more than I expected for mass-market type stuff. So still using the library and abebooks, etc. Anyway, happy hunting...

^11 aya.herron ~ I'm reading The Hangman's Daughter too ~ just started, in fact, and having a bit of trouble getting into it. Does it get ~ I won't say better, but I will say I'm feeling much empathy for any of the characters. Just the opposite: so many ignorant, hateful, and/or evil characters.

I just read and enjoyed Natural Reaction by Terri Reid

Reading my first Val McDermid, The Mermaids Singing.

I'm just starting It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake.

Just finished The Winter of Frankie Machine. It was a great pleasure to read it. Starting now with Portobello by Ruth Rendell.

45 - This is my most excited to read book for the year, hope you like it.

I'm reading The Whisperer, a book that I got through the Early Reviewers here on LibraryThing. I had read some reviews of it before I started and they didn't give me much hope. But I'm finding it unputdownable.

I am reading This Body of Death by Elizabeth George. So far it is very good.

Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie It's good and I'm enjoying more than the previous one in the series which was In A Dark House

I've just finished reading Stratton's War by Laura Wilson - an interesting combination of detective novel and WWII social history.

#50, druidgirl, I'm also reading an Elizabeth George, What came before he shot her I find I either really like George's books or dislike them very much. This one is odd--I find the story extremely unpleasant but compelling.

Just started Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry, the latest Monk mystery. Just a couple of chapters in and enjoying it, but its subject matter is dark. These books really do show the ugly underbelly of Victorian life.

My next mystery read will be Bunny Lake is Missing, by Evelyn Piper, which I picked up at a library sale in the fall. As a bonus, I found out this morning that Turner Classic Movies will be showing the movie version on Thursday afternoon. Will have to tape it and see how the two compare.

>28 Porua: It was a good one. Highly Recommended.

I finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie which I really enjoyed! The heroine was truly refreshing and witty. I definitely would recommend this book!

I just put the finishing touches on my review of the mystery/thriller Stalin’s Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith. It’s part of the Arkady Renko series set in Moscow, Russia where the specter of the long-dead dictator still looms over both the political landscape and the psyche of the Russian people. I enjoyed it immensely!

just finished snow angels by james thompson.very good indeed

my next read will be the whisperersby john connolly.i am a big fan of this series so im looking forward to this one

Reading Death at the President's lodging, the first Appleby mystery and The Jenny, a novel about the theft of rare stamps from the New York Public Library.

Deadly Code by Lin Anderson part of a series set in Scotland with a forensic pathologist.

#60 - Bjace, that Innes mystery is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, I think Innes is my all-time favorite mystery author. Have you read others of his?

#62, Oh happy to hear that. I just bought Death at the President's Lodging. I don't think I've ever read Innes.

Still Life. I am so excited to have recently discovered this author!

I just finished reading Hell Swamp by Susan Whitfield. It's the third novel in the Logan Hunter mysteries, a series of novels set in North Carolina. It was a great read. If you get a chance, please check out my review of the book as well as my interview with the author.

I've only read one other Innes--the excellent Hamlet, revenge My library doesn't have them, so I have to either get them via Interlibrary loan, catch the occasional title on Bookmooch or find them in secondhand sales.

I read a paranormal mystery,If Fried Chicken Could Fly, over the weekend and enjoyed it. Now I'm reading Perfect Poison by Joyce Lavene.

#66 - Yes, that's how you have to get ahold of Innes.

I just finished Half-Past Dawn by Richard Doetsch I was somewhat ambivalent about it for the first 50 or so pages, but I kept reading and am VERY glad I did. He is a pretty imaginative guy.

If you enjoyed his The 13th Hour you will enjoy this one too.

I just started The Tenderness of the Wolves by Stef Penney. There has been a murder, so I guess I am reading a murder mystery, although I didn't know the book was going to be a mystery.

Started reading The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Recently finished The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag. Flavia DeLuce rocks. If you haven't read Alan Bradley, you should. Flavia is just a phenominal character. FYI the first book is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Late here, but I'm hoping to read the Smiley books I have in the house before I go and see "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" at the movies (it opens in Sydney this week, and should be on for a while, I hope). I read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold last week and loved it; next up is The Looking Glass War, and then Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

>73 wookiebender:

Tinker, Tailor is great. I got a movie tie-in copy from Netgalley and loved it. Now I'm going to have to dig up the rest of the Karla trilogy and read those too.

I just finished Perfect Poison by Joyce Lavene. It was a quick read.

An Author Bites the Dust by Arthur W. Upfield. Unlike many other of the Bony series, this one is in an almost urban setting, which to me isn't where Bony is at his best. Give me the wide open spaces of the Australian Bush :(

@74: I'm tempted to pick up a movie tie-in copy of Tinker Tailor, even though my dad and brother both have the book and we really don't need three copies in a family of four, because I like the picture of Gary Oldman on the cover. Actually, what I really want is the poster.

Current mystery read: Destination Unknown (aka So Many Steps to Death), by Agatha Christie, which has a very strange plot but is still holding my interest.

@73--Definitely read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy before seeing the movie as it will make the plot of the film far easier to follow.

Love the Karla Trilogy! John le Carré is the best. In my opinion Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the best followed by Smiley's People. The Honourable Schoolboy I didn't like that much.

I've just started Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. I am loving it, even though I have NO idea how to pronounce the main character's first name - I simply don't know what sound the first letter should make.

#73 Ditto #78. I dragged my boyfriend to see Tinker, Tailor, and while I could follow the movie because I'd just read the book, he was left totally baffled. In fact, when the movie ended and the lights came up, I could hear grumbling and "wtf mate?" chatter in the theater from people who had no idea what had just happened. I wouldn't recommend seeing it without reading it first.

Made a brief start on Roseanna last night. It's the first of the Martin Beck series by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo. Early signs are good but I was a bit too tired to read much of it.

>72 tjm568: Flavia does rock!! I love that series...glad to see you love it too.

>80 Samantha_kathy:
Thóra? (Þóra in the original?) This is pronounced as th in thin :)
See http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/band/pronunci.php (for example).

84> Thank you! Yes, in the book it is written as Þóra, which is nice as it's the correct spelling, but I would have liked a little explanation up front on how to read it as anything other than a weird sign! Greek alphabet I know, Scandinavian not so much :D.

>85 Samantha_kathy:

Welcome. You might want also to check ó - it is not just an accented o.
I had been flirting with most of the Scandinavian languages at one time or another so at least I can read names at the moment. Makes it... funnier to read sometimes. Or easier.

Although sometimes I need a guy to how to pronounce English names :)

Just started Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham. It's still early, but I have a feeling this one is going to be special.

86> Luckily I don't have to read out loud :D. Knowing the first letter is something like 'th' is good enough for me :D.

Good Murder by Robert Gott set in 1942 small town Australia.

I'm reading Christie's A Murder at Styles and just finished Hew and Cry.

Yesterday started a debut crime novel, The Stranger You Seek, by Amanda Kyle Williams. The heroine is a former FBI profiler and current PI and process server (the author has also worked as a PI and process server--I love when authors have real experience in the field in which they write).

I am reading Every Dead Thing by John Connolly and also rereading A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie.

Reading Kingdom releasing in March by Amanda Stevens, really enjoyed Restorer and the Prequel Abandoned

The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid I'm on the fence about McDermid. A Place of Execution was excellent, but some of the other novels, especially the Lindsay Gordon novels are either junk or over-wrought.

I am starting In the Woods today. YAY! I have heard good things about it and hope that I won't be disappointed.

On a side note, I LOVE Flavia de Luce! I have a request in at the library for books 2 and 3. Great character!

I just finished All I Did Was Shoot My Man by Walter Mosley. It's the fourth Leonid McGill novel, a series of hardboiled style mystery novel featuring an African American P.I. named (what else?) Leonid McGill. I really enjoyed this one and will be seeking out more works by Mosley in the future. If you're interested you can find my review of the book here.

95- Just checked out book three today. Two other books to read first, but should get back to Flavia next week.

I am really enjoying the second book in William Kent Krueger's series, Boundary Waters. I have always had a weakness for survivalist books, the mystery almost takes second place in this story of canoeing, camping and surviving in the wilderness.

Found a bunch of Douglas Clark titles on Bookmooch and am reading The Monday theory

I like Clark a lot.

#100, that's good. Most of the people I know have never heard of him. I read a few of his books in the 80s and am now getting back to them.

Read the classic locked room mystery The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill. A so-so experience. My complete review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/130815#3196902

I am new to this group and happy to find a lot of writers new to me.

Right now I am reading Quietly in Their Sleep (aka The Death of Faith) by Donna Leon.

Current mystery read: Medusa, by Michael Dibdin. One of the later Aurelio Zens. (I'm reading them out of order, but that's not a problem for me.)

>103 mamalaz: Welcome mamalaz!

I'm currently reading and enjoying The Betrayal of Trust, the sixth book in Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series.

I love that series, Joanne. I must get back to it!

# 105 Oooh, I have been waiting patiently for my turn at the library for The Betrayal of Trust. I think I'm next, so hopefully I will get my hands on it soon.

I am currently reading Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George. Since it is 610 pages, I can only read it at home, in a chair that I can prop that heavy thing up! I am also reading Drop Shot by Harlan Coben via my Kindle when I take the dogs to the park at night, or get stuck in a line somewhere, or the doctor's office... and lastly, 9 Dragons by Michael Connely via my Ipad in bed every night until I fall asleep! I am enjoying all three!

Hi libshea!

I loved the 9 Dragons. It was one of my favourite reading in 2010.

Enjoy it and happy reading.

Finished The Monday theory and Death after Evensong by Douglas Clark. Next up will probably be either Donna Andrews' Murder with Puffins or Alexander McCall Smith's Tears of the Giraffe

Yesterday I read the classic, Beast In View by Margaret Millar. Shows what time can do to one's sense of mystery. Not so good.

>105 Copperskye: I'm reading Susan Hill's latest also. I'm very interested in how it reflects the latest controversy of Dignitas in Switzerland and the debate of assisted suicide. This book seems to be shifting away from some of the really gory murder details that have infused the genre of late. Is this a trend? I hope so.

I am reading Blackman's Coffin by Mark de Castrique, a new author for me. So far, so good.

I couldn't resist another Ken Bruen. Talk about 'noir'......... I don't know whether it's the booze and other drugs that have him hallucinating over there in Galway, but Jack Taylor seems to have met his match this time in The Devil. Seriously dark and very clever (both the writing and the devil of course).

Also read Ruth Rendell's The Monster in the Box. Her usual standard, but after the Bruen.... a bit meh.

#111 I expect Beast in View any day now from the library.

While I'm waiting for Beast in View and Betrayal of Trust I started my December ER book, Catch Me.

Just got a notice that Chalk Girl is waiting for me on the library's hold shelf. Excited!

#81 Just saw Tinker, Tailor last night. Had seen the older movie a couple times. I really need to read the book as I'm not sure what happened either.

Just finished The Betrayal of Trust. I liked the way Hill ended it. Curious to hear how others react.

I just finished Death at Wentwater Court the first Daisy Dalrimple book which was a nice, light, fluffy cozy. Daisy is cute and the detective intriguing so I shall keep on with that series. The mystery wasn't too bad either. :)

An Uncertain Place by Fred Vargas

Finished re-reading The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Reminded me why I prefer the Sherlock Holmes stories to the novels. My full review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/130815#3205978

Finished a re-read of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It reminded me why I prefer the Sherlock Holmes stories to the novels. My full review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/130815#3205978

For those of you who have read In the Woods by Tana French did you finish the book and feel like you didn't get any closure? I really liked the book but felt nothing was really resolved. Also, does The Likeness have Rob Ryan as a main character again? I hope so...........................

>123 Kwidhalm: Yeah, no closure on one of the mysteries, which seemed weird. The Likeness has very little Rob Ryan, it's all his partner (can't remember her name.) There are references to Rob and the first case, and it's quite different, but still good. The third book takes up the story of another character, the girl partner's boss from undercover.

Just finished The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter by Sharyn McCrumb...I'm quickly, sadly, running out of her ballad novels to enjoy.

Finished the fourth Smiley book, The Looking Glass War. Another excellent read from le Carré, now I have to find time to read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy before it finishes at the movies!

126: Yay Tinker Tailor! :) Enjoy!

This morning on the bus, I started Roseanna, the first Martin Beck mystery by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö.

I just finished Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay, quite predictable story, but a nice easy read for me wide awake at 3 am the last 2 nights, suffering from jet lag!

I started A Fatal Grace, by Louise Penny last night and so far I'm not happy with it. The first novel was literary in a way that this one is not. People's back-stories are inserted somewhat clumsily, in my humble opinion, the villain is completely unbelievable, at least so far (just a few chapters in), and the fat-hating even extends to cutting comments about Myrna and Gabri, for heaven's sake. Does it get better?

I read Still Midnight by Denise Mina today. Rather gritty and a bit depressing, but realistic characters and setting, I think.

Finished Murder with Puffins, the second Meg Langslow. Always fun.

The new thread is here,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/132006

Oh, rabbitprincess! I loved Roseanna and the rest of the series! As soon as I get a chance, I think I'm going to start a reread of them all.

>130 DocWood: I've loved all of the Louise Penny books except for book 2. I thought books 1 & 2 were decent mysteries. For me, book 3 is the turning point where the series becomes something very special. Since Penny develops characters and plots across several books in the series, things happen in book 2 that are important for subsequent books in the series.

Now I'm off to star the new February thread!

I picked up A Fatal Grace again last night, with great doubts. I'm glad I did, because by page 65 Penny had caught her stride. The rest of the book was beautiful. On to #3, and the February thread!

My husband and I have been reading anything by E. X. Ferrars. Her titles are a little hard to find. We like the intelligent writing, the characters, the settings (English countryside, our fave); and that police contribute to the solution, but the characters all conjecture solutions and motives. Has anyone here read this author?

#137 - I've read and enjoyed quite a few E. X. Ferrars titles. They are hard to find, but if I see a used one, I usually snap it up. I did a quick check here on LT, and most of her titles have pretty low numbers here.