What Are You Reading Part 3

[onekidanddone]

RIP Larry McMurtry. His genius will live in his son James and Grandson Curtis 

[church_of_dog]

What I've read/listened to since my last list in mid-December:

Fiction:

Y is for Yesterday, by Sue Grafton

Deadly Decisions, by Kathy Reichs

Fatal Voyage, by Kathy Reichs

When the Lights Go Out, by Mary Kubica

The Other Mrs., by Mary Kubica

Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz

Moonflower Murders, by Anthony Horowitz

 

Nonfiction:  Psychology/Politics/Memoirs/True Crime/Misc:

Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's, by Lauren Kessler

No Logo, by Naomi Klein

The Promised Land, by Barack Obama

Hiding in Plain Sight, by Sarah Kendzior

A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order, by Judith Flanders

The Killer's Shadow: The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer, by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker

 

Nonfiction: History:

The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

A Short History of Russia, by Mark Galeotti

Sacco and Vanzetti -- Charles River Editors (more like a booklet at only 46 pages)

For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago, by Simon Baatz

1920: The Year of Six Presidents, by David Pietrusza

The Teapot Dome Scandal, by Laton McCartney

Clarence Darrow, by John A. Farrell

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

23 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

Sacco and Vanzetti -- Charles River Editors (more like a booklet at only 46 pages)

For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago, by Simon Baatz

Clarence Darrow by John A. Farrell

Coincidentally, I vaguely remember learning about those 3 topics when we read Inherit the Wind in my high school English class. Have you ever read the play or watched the movie?

[church_of_dog]

1 hour ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

Coincidentally, I vaguely remember learning about those 3 topics when we read Inherit the Wind in my high school English class. Have you ever read the play or watched the movie?

I know I read Inherit The Wind in high school and saw the movie, possibly at that same time.

I only had barely heard of Sacco/Vanzetti and Leopold/Loeb.  L/L might have been mentioned in school at that same time, like you say, because that was another one of Darrow's well known cases.  Not sure where I heard of S/V -- possibly from the lyrics and public commentary of labor- and anarchy-oriented folk singers such as Joan Baez.

The '20s were such an interesting time, there are so many aspects of that decade to learn about!  (of course 100 years from now there will no doubt be lots of interesting reports about the current '20s too  )

 

[church_of_dog]

I decided to copy/paste my posts from this thread into a document, as a way of tracking my reading.  Nearly all my reading is displayed on my Overdrive bookshelf, but occasionally there's an Audible book, or physical CDs, or even the rare hard copy book.

I couldn't remember how long I'd been posting on these threads so I went back and read them from the beginning.  In the process I found about a dozen new recommendations to add to my list!

And also a few of you may notice fresh upvotes from posts you made five years ago, lol...

[clueliss]

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6408184-the-lady-queen

I'm reading The Lady Queen by Nancy Goldstone - It's about Joanna I of Naples

Odd 'ooh' moments was a comment about how they thought insanity (or lunacy) was tied to the moon phases (which had me going - OHHHHHH LUNAcy & LUNAtic)

Also currently wondering if the actual "White Company" in that era of Italy could have been an inspiration for GRR Martin (and GOT's The Golden Company)

[louisa05]

I’ve been looking for good book groups online. Goodreads is great but there’s not a lot of interaction.  Had a women’s book group on Facebook for awhile but there was a lot of anti-anything but print books nonsense that culminated in my getting piled on for explaining that audio and/or digital books are the only options for people with vision impairments. Someone who “can’t see a thing without her contacts” was crowned the expert in vision disability because they all thought that is one. As many of you know, my mother is legally blind and I have the same condition. Plus there had been more than one member in the group previously who had vision loss. So enough of that one...

Found two more and they just seem to be places for people to brag about how many books they buy and how elaborate their home libraries are. Am I the only person who uses a library? Apparently not spending $100s a month on books means your priorities are misplaced. 
 

So anyone know any sane book groups online???

[CTRLZero]

19 hours ago, church_of_dog said:

And also a few of you may notice fresh upvotes from posts you made five years ago, lol...

I did notice this and wondered what you were up to. ? I sometimes go back through old posts in this forum.  It’s a great resource when I’m looking for reading ideas, and it often jogs my memory to continue with a series or revisit a good author.

I’m currently up to book seven in Laurie R. King’s Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series.  
I am also listening to a legal mystery series by David Rosenfelt.  The audiobook’s narrator reminds me of Groucho Marx.   I like the writing style, witticisms, and heartfelt love of dogs exhibited in the series.  

[church_of_dog]

The eighth book, Locked Rooms, is probably my favorite of the series.  I believe it's actually a crossover between Holmes-Russell and Laurie R. King's other series, about current-day police detective Kate Martinelli.

I am about 2-3 books behind on my Mary Russell, and I must say I barely remember the last few.  I had to just look up summaries in order to remember that yes, I'm pretty sure I did read Dreaming Spies but haven't yet gotten to Island of the Mad, or the one following it, and then a new one comes out in just a few months.  Guess it's time to catch up!

I will have to look up the Groucho David Rosenfelt series!

Edited April 13, 2021 by church_of_dog

[clueliss]

@church_of_dog - I couldn't get into the Russell series but loved the Kate Martinelli series (until the book based on Sherlock Holmes that had a book inside a book and I stopped reading that one and haven't returned) (Bonus for those that care - Martinelli is a lesbian police detective.)

[church_of_dog]

49 minutes ago, clueliss said:

@church_of_dog - I couldn't get into the Russell series but loved the Kate Martinelli series (until the book based on Sherlock Holmes that had a book inside a book and I stopped reading that one and haven't returned) (Bonus for those that care - Martinelli is a lesbian police detective.)

You just prompted me to look up the Kate Martinelli series to see if there were any new ones -- which there are sadly not.

But I did realize I made a mistake in my previous post -- it's the #5 Kate Martinelli -- The Art of Detection -- that crosses over with Sherlock Holmes.  I know Locked Rooms is set in San Francisco (one of the reasons I liked it so much) but I was wrong, it doesn't involve Kate Martinelli.

[WiseGirl]

I've been cleaning and found three Barnes & Noble gift cards. Fannie Flagg's The Wonder Boy of Whistestop beckoned me. I love Fried Green Tomatoes. Some Alice Hoffman books may have jumped in too.

Edited April 13, 2021 by WiseGirl
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[viii]

Currently reading 'The Raven's Widow' by Adrienne Dillard,

[tabitha2]

“Jefferson’s Daughters” by Catherine Kerrison  about the lives of his Legitimate daughters Maria and Martha and his daughter by Sally Hemmings Harriet 

[clueliss]

Currently in the middle of Louise Penny's A Great Reckoning. 

[clueliss]

I'm reading Battle Front by Jim Butcher.  The latest of the Harry Dresden series.  Read by James Marsters.

 

You know those wonderful, tight, tense novels?  That's what this is.  Almost sort of fills in the void I've got waiting for the next GRRM GOT novel.  At least for right now.

[Feminist_Defrauder91]

I am currently reading The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff.  It's a historical fiction novel about British women who dropped into France during WWII to commit sabotage and help the Allies.  It's great so far!

[Sky with diamonds]

I'm ashamed to admit, I've not been doing too much reading this last year and a half. 

I'm currently reading White Palace by Eva Stachiak, I'm enjoying it. 

[CTRLZero]

I finished an audiobook series by David Rosenfelt.  It’s a legal drama series of a defense attorney, his various sidekicks, and beloved dogs.  The novels were getting repetitive towards the end, but I enjoyed some of the characters as they developed, and I liked the narrator.  The author has another series (The K Team), but the narrator changed and I couldn’t get into it.  Maybe later.

Next, I listened to Emma Newman’s Planetfall series (books 1, 2 and 4).  It’s a well written tale of colonization of a new planet, a cult, a mystery and shenanigans.  Book 3 wasn’t available in audio, so I’ll read the print version eventually.  The author does a really good job of building anxiety through exploring an OCD-related incident (I can’t explain it very well without spoiling, but I was so absorbed in the process).

Today I finished The Last by Hanna Jameson.  It’s a post nuclear war novel focusing on people surviving in a remote hotel.  There’s a subplot of a mysterious death throughout the novel.  The funny part of the novel, to me, was when people were trying to figure out who caused the war by asking who everyone voted for.  It’s good summer reading.  Light and not too bleak as far as post nuclear war scenarios go. 

[clueliss]

I finished The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer (audio read by Scott Brick).  NonFiction but with the author's fiction writing background was structured with a lot of suspense and build up so it wasn't boring. 

[CTRLZero]

Just finished listening to “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout.  The main character is the common thread pulling together this series of chapters.  She is a very forthright woman, and the book touches on her life, how she affected others in her small town and beyond, and some difficult moments of self-realization.  I see there’s a sequel, so I’ll add that to my list of future reads.  

[Seahorse Wrangler]

Among the Wolves of Court by Lauren Mackay, about Thomas and George Boleyn

Anne of Cleves by Elizabeth Norton

Anna Duchess of Cleves by Heather Darsie

My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Baines

Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir

 

The Darsie one looks good, the author looks in depth at Anna's early life especially the politics on the European continent rather than the usual English perspective.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Yesterday I finished the most memorable book I've read recently, A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow. In one way, it's a YA fantasy novel about how our world might be if some magical/mythical creatures were real. But it's also full of layers about sexism, racism, and social issues, without being "preachy". I reserved the sequel, A Chorus Rises, from the library. I hope it's as good.

Edited June 16, 2021 by WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?
added links to author's website

[danvillebelle]

About to dive into some Daniel Dennett - Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon and Consciousness Explained. 

[CTRLZero]

I listened to two audiobooks by George R. R. Martin (author of the Game of Thrones series).

The first was a short story called Nightflyers.  The foreword by the author was of interest, because he explains how much he loves the horror genre.  The story is almost like a haunted house situation, but takes place on a spaceship.

The second book, Dying of the Light, also involves interplanetary travel, but once the main characters gather, it is very similar to medieval cosplay.  The language used is similar to the GoT and worth listening to.  I enjoyed the narration.