What are you reading the week of November 10, 2018?

I've almost finished recovering everything at work. The last thing for me to do today is go in and replace the motherboard in *my* computer at work. Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Almost two solid weeks of long work days and late nights. Wait, did anyone else hear a train whistle? :-)

>1 fredbacon: Thank you for getting us started, Fred. I'm glad you see light at the end of the tunnel, and am hoping there is no train heading your way!

I started a new job this week and have had minimal reading time. I finished the excellent I'm Travelling Alone by Norwegian writer Samuel Bjork. Of course it's crime fiction, I read little else! This is one of the best examples of the Scandinavian noir genre that I've had the pleasure of reading.

I'm about three chapters into The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel, a Danish crime writer. It's too early to tell whether or not it's any good, but I will say that I like it so far.

Still reading The Reality Dysfunction, Norse Mythology, and Someone Like Me.

I started The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho for a Litsy buddy read.
It's been an easy-to-read adventure so far.

After I read my assigned pages I started Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. I'm almost done already. It's been an exciting sci fi journey with some thoughtful themes.

I'm just past the halfway point of Jim Harrison's terrific novel, True North.

I finished The Cliff Walk, a memoir describing the loss of his English professorship, two years of joblessness, and finally his transformation into a painter/carpenter. It was good but I found myself loosing patience with how long it took him to adjust his self image.

Buried In Bargains – Josie Belle
3***

Book 3 in the Good Buy Girls Mystery series, has the quartet – Maggie, Ginger, Claire and Joanne – faced with another murder close to home. Joanne and Michael are expecting their first child, and she’s feeling fat and unattractive, especially since Michael hired the pretty young, blond Diane as an assistant at the deli. When Diane is found strangled in the back room, Michael and/or Joanne are immediate suspects.

This has all the elements of a successful cozy mystery series: a group of friends who serve as amateur sleuths, a villainous temptress “mean girl” who is the bane of their existence, a handsome sheriff with a definite interest in widowed Maggie, and a lovely small community with a high murder rate.

I identified the culprit the first time said culprit made an appearance in the book. But it was still fun to watch everyone else catch up. The one thing that really annoys me is the relationship between Maggie and her former high-school rival, Summer. These two forty-year-olds act like they are still in junior high, throwing tantrums and all but wrestling one another to the ground. Grow up, ladies! Seriously.

Cozy mysteries are my reading comfort food, and as winter approaches, I’m sure I’ll be reading more of them.

>1 fredbacon: Hi Fred, that sounds *horrible* and I hope against hope the whistle was a work stoppage not a speeding TGV.

I'm a good way in to Cry Wolf, yes yes I'm a decade late to the party I know, but here I am. Also making my very gruntled and kempt way through Nobody Knows How It Got This Good, a first collection of short stories.

Just started Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath by Sigrid Undset. Don't know how I missed this trilogy in my younger days, but it seems my kind of book.

Finished Someone Like Me by M. R. Carey, Enjoyed it. Interesting concept involving alternate realities.

Next up is Close to the Bone by Kendra Elliot for review.

Finished Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens.
Loved it. One of my favorites of the year!

Just starting The last ballad by Wiley Cash.

Both uniquely Southern novels set in North Carolina.

Hopefully I’ll finish Legendary by Stephanie Garber today and will continue with The Chilbury Ladies Choir and The Air You Breathe. I’m awfully tempted to start In The House in the Dark in the Woods as it looks awfully intriguing

Finished Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Found it rather dull and uninspired.

Next into my reading rotation is The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi.

Cry Wolf has many fans, I am not one. It's okay.

Picked up Tim Pratt's second novel, The Dreaming Stars.

> Kristen Lavransdatter is one of my all time favorite books. I hardly ever read books a second time but that one I did reread last year and still found it excellent.

Finished Close to the Bone by Kendra Elliot. Too short to be satisfying.

Next up is A Bird in the Hand by Ann Cleeves.

I finished The Travelling Cat Chronicles which was charming and I recommend it for anyone who loves cats.

Now I’m reading Anne Lamott’s latest, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope.

Die Trying – Lee Child
Digital Audio read by Johnathan McClain.
3.5***

Book # 2 in the Jack Reacher series has Reacher inadvertently caught up in a kidnapping, when he stops to help a woman on crutches manage her dry cleaning. He notices that she is strangely calm and collected. Holly Johnson is an FBI agent … and also the daughter and god-daughter of two powerful men.

Gosh but these books are addictive! Reacher is former military police, and now is roaming about taking odd jobs. He’s certainly got his hands full this time. With no advance warning or preparation, he’s thrust in the middle of a madman’s plan to MAKE A STATEMENT. He has the skill and opportunity to escape several times but refuses to leave Holly behind. Sometimes he uses brute force, other times psychological manipulation. I like that in this book, Holly Johnson is a strong female …. She may be on crutches, but she is far from helpless. Brava!

Implausible though it may be, Child gives the reader a fast-paced thriller full of action and intrigue.

Johnathan McClain does a fine job narrating the audio. He sets a brisk pace, has clear diction, and I loved the voice he used for the villain!

Yellow Crocus – Laila Ibrahim
Book on CD performed by Bahni Turpin.
3.5***

From the book jacket: Moments after Lisbeth is born, she’s taken from her mother and handed over to an enslaved wet nurse, Mattie, a young mother separated from her own infant son in order to care for her tiny charge. Thus begins an intense relationship that will shape both of their lives for decades to come.

My reactions
Good historical fiction set in 1837 to 1860 Virgnia. The novel explores the ways in which family bonds are formed regardless of biological connection. Mattie is a young woman when she’s taken “into the big house” to become Lisbeth’s wet nurse. It’s heartbreaking to witness her all-too-brief Sunday visits with her young son, who has begun to bond with another slave who is caring for him. At the same time, she nurtures the white child, Lisbeth, teaches her songs and tells her stories, helps her become a young lady. Eventually their close bond must be tested and Lisbeth’s naïve attitudes are challenged as she is forced to confront the ugly truth of slavery.

I loved Mattie. She’s a strong woman who works hard and smart, watching and learning skills that will help her and her family find their way to freedom someday. I did not like Lisbeth too much for most of the book. Although she was a much better character than some of the “friends” she had among the other plantation daughters. It’s not until she has a rude awakening that she begins to show some gumption and independence of thought.

The ending is both heart-wrenching and hopeful.

Bahni Turpin is fast becoming a favorite audio performer. She has a wonderful voice and was able to interpret the various characters in a way that made it easy to follow.

Reading and enjoying Susan Orlean’s The Library Book..

Anne of Ingleside – L. M. Montgomery
2.5**

This is the sixth book in the series that follows the irrepressible Anne Shirley as she grows from a young orphan to adulthood. NOTE: Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read this far in the series

This book focuses on Anne and Gilbert’s six children, who seem to all share their mother’s gift of imagination and tendency toward fantasy. The chapters focus on different children and their adventures / flights of fancy. Their dear mother, Anne, as well as housekeeper Susan hold the book together.

However, I really missed Anne in most of the book. Yes, it was fun to watch one child after another learn from his/her mistakes or be scared of shadows or foolishly believe a tall tale or relish a summer day playing in the valley and letting their imaginations soar. But, I read the earlier books in the series for Anne, and she wasn’t as prevalent in this episode. I’m not sure I’ll continue reading the series at all.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (NYC/four adult siblings in a rich, dysfunctional family)

UPDATE: ****

I finished the mostly amazing if a touch overlong True North by Jim Harrison. You can read my review on my 50-Book Challenge thread or on the book's work page.

I've started When the Yankees Were On the Fritz, the self-published memoir of pitcher Fritz Peterson about the New York Yankees of the 1970s and what it was like to be on a between-dynasties Yankees team that never won anything.

I had to put aside The Dreaming Stars because Cold Earth is due back at the library tomorrow and can't be renewed again. I really like the Shetlands books, but I was unpleased by the BBC TV show that alleges to be based on them. Muck like the Father Brown TV show, it might name its characters after the Shetlands novels' characters, but resemble them they do not.

Started Divine Choreography of Redemption by William E. Jefferson. A book I won and need to read and review.

Heidi – Johanna Spyri
Digital audiobook performed by Johanna Ward.
4.5****

This classic of children’s literature tells the story of Heidi, a young orphan girl who lives with her gruff grandfather up on a Swiss mountain. She befriends Peter, the goatherd, and becomes beloved by all the villagers.

I’d seen the Shirley Temple movie about a million times when I was a child and absolutely loved it, but I had never read the book. It’s a wonderful story about a child who has lost much but relishes all that she has. She’s intelligent, open-minded, hind-hearted and has a great generosity of spirit. She comes across several mean-spirited (and downright nasty) people, but her cheerfulness wins over many people and she eventually prevails.

I listened to the audio performed by Johanna Ward. She does a marvelous job, with clear diction and a pace that isn’t too fast for younger listeners to absorb.

Just finished listening to The Last Refuge, a little guy against greed novel. Not bad.

Next up for listening is The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason.

Just finished reading a fabulous collection of short stories, Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

Next up to read is Return to Laughter: An Anthropological Novel by Elenore Smith Bowen.

Finished The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi. Enjoyed it. Fun Read.

Added Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett to my reading rotation.

Finished reading Rules of Engagement: A Novel which is a highly introspective novel wherein the narrator guards her privacy precluding any intimacy. Her approach is contrasted with her childhood friend's open neediness. Neither fare well in adulthood.

Cold Earth delighted me. Must work on a review soon. Meantime, back to The Dreaming Stars.

>32 richardderus: I’m gonna miss that series.

I picked up a bunch of books that I really want to get to from the library today, but I’m 100 pages into a Bosch book, The Burning Room, so there’s no going back now. Must read faster.

>32 richardderus: I finished it too not all that long ago. I picked up the first book in one of her earlier series (Palmer-Jones) and I'm not impressed. I've also got the first book in her Inspector Ramsay series in my TBR pile.

>33 Copperskye: *heavy sigh*

>34 seitherin: I have only read to current in the Shetlands series; I hadn't even heard of the Palmer-Jones books! I've never heard anyone bemoan the lack of love for Ramsay, even among those I know who have read the books.

The Devil Went Down to Austin– Rick Riordan
3***

Book # 4 in the Tres Navarre mystery series starts when Tres learns that his brother, Garrett, has mortgaged the family ranch to fund a start-up software security company, and has missed the last four payments. When Tres goes to Austin to confront his brother he finds a financial and “with-friends-like-this-who-needs-enemies” mess. Things get worse when Garrett’s business partner, and perennial fuck-up Jim, is found dead. Add a ruthless business man, and a wealthy family intent on keeping family secrets buried and Tres has his work cut out for him in unraveling the disaster. As an added complication, Garrett’s attorney is Tres’s former love interest, Maia, who has flown in from San Francisco.

I like Tres as a character. He’s a PhD English professor, specializing in Middle English lit, a tai chi master, and a private investigator. He’s intense, has a sarcastic sense of humor, treats women well, does not suffer fools gladly, and loves his cat, Robert Johnson (who usually eats enchiladas). The books are full of Texas culture and locations that are familiar to natives. The plots are intricate with lots of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. This time around I didn’t ID the culprit until just a step ahead of the reveal. (Literally, a footstep is heard in that key scene and THAT’s when I realized who the culprit is.)

There are a couple of things that don’t quite make sense to me, but I can’t say more or I’d give away the plot.

I wish Riordan would go back to writing mysteries aimed at adults. He wrote this series before he started the Percy Jackson series (which really catapulted him to author famedom). I certainly understand why he continues to focus on that immensely popular (and lucrative) franchise, but I dread the day when I run out of Tres Navarre books (only 3 left in the series for me).

Hallowe’en Party – Agatha Christie
Audiobook read by John Moffatt.
3***

Mrs Rowena Drake is hosting a Hallowe’en Party for the teens in her area. Mrs Ariadne Oliver, who is visiting a friend, has been roped into helping with the party preparations. During preparations she meets a young fan, Joyce Reynolds, who states she loves Mrs Oliver’s mystery books. That evening during the party itself, Joyce is found drowned in a bucket intended for apple bobbing. Who could possibly have murdered a child?! Ariadne asks her good friend Hercule Poirot for assistance.

I love Hercule Poirot, although he can sometimes be insufferably smug and “superior.” I love the way he puzzles out a problem, sees the clues in seemingly inconsequential events and facts, and puts the whole together to reveal the culprit. This time he has the immediate murder of Joyce to solve, but he quickly learns that she had claimed to have witnessed a murder once. What possible murder could she have witnessed? Or what this just an idle boast intended to get attention from a mystery writer she admired? There are no unsolved open cases, but a couple of deaths that MIGHT be suspicious. Could one of those have been murder? Could Joyce have actually seen something?

Christie gives us plenty of options, including more than one red herring. I didn’t figure this one out until Poirot revealed the culprit.

John Moffatt does a fine job narrating the audiobook. I like his interpretation of Poirot, but he has a deep voice that just isn’t right for most of the women, and certainly not for the teenagers involved.

>11 nrmay: Re: Where the Crawdads Sing. I agree.

Speaking From Among the Bones – Alan Bradley
Digital audiobook performed by Jayne Entwistle
3 ***

Book five in the series starring eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, amateur chemist and amateur sleuth. This time the action focuses on the town’s celebration in honor of the 500th anniversary of the patron saint of Bishop's Lacey. Flavia’s as curious as the next person, and she can’t wait to witness the opening of St. Tancred’s tomb. But she’s certainly not prepared to see the rather fresh body of Mr. Colllicutt, the church organist. Of course, she HAS to figure out what happened. Meanwhile the family drama continues with reduced circumstances threatening their beloved Buckshaw.

I love this series, mostly because I love Flavia. She’s an intrepid explorer, pedaling about the area on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, and doing experiments in her laboratory. She is smart, independent, curious and determined. I love her relationship with Dogger and with her father. And I love how Bradley inserts all sorts of information about chemistry and science into the plots. I am, however, getting tired of her sisters and how horribly they treat Flavia. Talk about bullying!

Jayne Entwistle does a marvelous job performing the audio books in this series. Her Flavia is delightful, and she does a good job bringing all the characters to life.

>39 BookConcierge: I have Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd staring reproachfully at me from the TBRs. I've enjoyed the previous books so I'm expecting to enjoy this one. They've certainly lasted well, no serious series-sag to my eyes.

The Post-Birthday World
Lionel Shriver
3/5 stars
I enjoy Lionel Shriver's writing and this was an interesting look at Irina McGovern, a children's illustrator and the two men she loves. This book's twist is that it follows her alternate lives with both men. One is Lawrence, a thinker and scholar and the other is Ramsey Acton, a snooker player. If you like a book with a twist, this is it.

>39 BookConcierge: One of my favorite series!

Finished A Bird in the Hand by Ann Cleeves. It was OK, but not as good as her Shetland Islands books.

Next up is The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie.

I'm another one who loved Where the Crawdads Sing. A favorite of the year. Ditto re The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.

I'm now reading an ER mystery, Shell Game by Sarah Paretsky, and a sci-fi novel, Raven Stratagem.

The Iced Princess – Christine Husom
1*

This is the second in the Snow Globe Shop mystery series, but the first one I’ve read. Cami Brooks has returned to her home town from Washington DC to help her parents with their Curio Finds shop while her mother recovers from a serious illness. She’s also fleeing a scandalous episode that involves the Senator from Minnesota. Her good friend Pinky runs the coffee shop next door and the two help each other out during busy periods. With the Christmas season approaching the two friends consider hiring some additional help. Their former high school classmate Molly Dalton isn’t what they had in mind, but she practically begs for the job. At the end of her first day on the job, Cami is stunned to find Molly dead in the bathroom – apparently poisoned.

Well this is just all over the place. There’s the whole drama with the Senator. The little old lady with a criminal past. A strangely unemotional husband. A long-lost stepbrother. An unexpected confession of a murder no one ever suspected. A strange man with a suitcase. Several “customers” who are behaving oddly. And a possible ghost who keeps turning the bathroom light on when no one is there…. Or maybe it’s an electrical short.

It seemed to me that Husom was trying too hard to confuse and confound the investigators (and the reader) in order to have a mystery plot with some twists and turns. Nothing seemed to work for me. Cami behaved like a junior-high tween more often than a professional woman. I didn’t feel any spark between her and her apparent love interest (except that she seems to melt in his arms when he kisses her). And the whole resolution of the mystery seemed rushed.