What are you reading now?: May 3, 2025

Currently working on Woken Furies and Vought F7U-3 Cutlass.

Have moved on to Long Live Evil and Death of the Leaping Horseman.

started this audio via Libby ~

25 Alive: Women's Murder Club series, #25
by James Patterson

I'm reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I'm only 50 pages in so I've not formed an opinion yet.

Last night I finished listening to Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. It was such a beautiful book. I've already ordered a print copy of it so that I can keep it forever. I haven't chosen a new audiobook yet.

Reading Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice by Alexandra Natapoff, a Harvard law professor.

I'm reading and enjoying Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor for my book club.

The Patron Saint of Liars
Ann Patchett
4/5 stars
In Kentucky, there was St. Elizabeth, a nun's home for unwed mothers. A young woman, Rose became pregnant, and she came to stay there while she gave birth to her child, Cecilia though she was wed. She wanted to give up her child. However, she stayed there and made a place for herself but Rose's past eventually comes to her new home. 1992

I'm reading Guinevere by Sharon Newman and Bringing Home the Rain by Bob McGough. There will probably be another book at some point to balance out these two.

A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel – K J Charles
3***

This is the second in the Doomsday Books series of Regency romances, but I think it can easily be read as a standalone work.

Major Rufus d’Aumesty has come to Stone Manor as the newest Earl of Oxney. This was a surprise to him and to the rest of the d’Aumestys. The family lineage is a tangled web and it’s been a fight to take his place, but his uncle Conrad, and Conrad’s wife, Matilda are still determined to oust him. Enter Luke Doomsday, one of the notorious Doomsday clan of smugglers in Romney Marsh, Kent. Rumor has it HE was the son of the late Raymond d’Aumesty. Luke convinces Rufus to hire him as a secretary, a position with which he has experience and past success. Luke will search the family records for any proof that HE is the rightful heir, and also help Rufus, who has no experience being a lord, organize the estate and begin to put things right. But sparks fly between these two rather different men and the outcome is inevitable.

This was quite a fun and steamy romance. Their passion could easily heat the entire drafty manorial compound! Of course there are several twists and turns in the basic plot to keep one turning pages. But let’s be serious … the best parts are the naughty ones!

I will have to go find the first book in the series, now, to read about an earlier generation of Doomsdays.

In the Land of Second Chances – George Shaffner
3.5***

In Ebb, Nebraska, life is slow, and people are nice. There is no big box store, and no fast-food chain restaurant, though they do have a Starbucks. That’s the way they like to live. Wilma Porter runs the Come Again Bed-and-Breakfast, and also is a founder of the Quilting Circle, which is comprised of virtually every woman in Ebb. And then, on the first day of Spring, Wilma gets a call from a Mr. Vernon Moore who wants to rent a room for a short while. He says he is a traveling salesman, but he doesn’t seem to be selling anything. Still, his presence makes a difference in this community.

I was completely charmed by the residents of Ebb, and by the mysterious Vern Moore. I really enjoyed the philosophical discussions he engaged in. And I loved that the women of the town really ran the place, despite the local real-estate mogul thinking HE runs things.

This little book made me think while it entertained me. It’s a wonderful fable about hope and faith and community.

Written in Stone by Paige Shelton
The latest and 10th installment in the "Scottish Bookshop Mystery" series
*
Someone mentioned the "Lost Queen" series by Signe Pike in last week's thread. The 4th novel is scheduled to be published in 2027.

Starting to read Excavation by James Rollins

The Supreme Macaroni Company – Adriana Trigiani
Book on CD performed by Cassandra Campbell
3.5***

This is the third installment in the story of the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village, New York. Valentine Roncalli is the central character and the series follows her life over several years. I won’t say any more, because that might spoil earlier episodes for future readers.

I really like Trigiani’s books. She features strong heroines with complex backgrounds and conflicted feelings. They almost always end happily, or at least hopefully … even though there is plenty of tragedy involved (and isn’t life, itself, like that?).

Cassandra Campbell does a marvelous job of voicing the audiobook. She has a lot of characters to interpret, and she is more than to the task. Brava!

Water Moon
Samantha Sotto Yambao
3.5/5 stars
Charming book! "On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets." Synopsis from Amazon

The new thread is up over here.