What are you reading this week of December 10, 2017?

[hermetic]

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Happy Hanukkah!

I really enjoyed Michael Connelly's The Concrete Blond. It's not often I tear up at the end of a Mystery/Police Procedural.

Now I am listening to Future Home Of The Living God by By Louise Erdrich. Wow. Written in the form of a letter to an unborn child, this is an eerie pregnancy journal and persecution chronicle combined. Something weird is going on. Banks are running out of money; the internet becomes unreliable; the government seizes the cable companies, etc. hmmm

Interesting to know that Erdrich began the novel in 2002, then abandoned it until the end of 2016, when she found it newly urgent to finish, for all the obvious reasons, and reworked it. A little too quickly, perhaps, but it's still worth reading, IMO. It has lots of amusing lines that will keep you chuckling all the while it becomes clear that something is going very wrong for humanity.

I just watched Foyle's War, the first season, which is four stories by Anthony Horowitz. Wonderful. Totally loved it. Can't wait to see more.

What are you loving this week?

[OnDoutside]

1. I'm thinking of watching Julius Caesar, since it's so topical....

Aside from that, enjoy the rest of Foyle's War, it was a great show. Anthony Horowitz also does fantastic kids book series such as Alex Rider, and the Diamond Brothers.


Have you seen Midsomer Murders ?

[hermetic]

3. No, not yet

Foyle is my introduction to Horowitz. A bunch of us meet up here every week to talk about what we are reading and one member is a big Horowitz fan, which has got me interested now in reading and watching all of his stories. Really enjoyable stuff.

Certainly some parallels with old Julius and true it is that the Ides of March will be here soon. Dolt 45 would do well to realize that Caesar was then stabbed some 23 times by a group of rebellious senators. Oh, a girl can dream, right?

[OnDoutside]

5. Dream indeed ! One other I would really recommend are the

Inspector Morse books by Colin Dexter, which were made into the wonderful series starring John Thaw, and Morse's follow on, Lewis. Top quality shows.

[avebury]

2. While I love to watch, I am actually binge watching the 2nd

Season of The Crown on Netflix this weekend. I have three more episodes to go.

[hermetic]

8. Shoot! I wrote a reply

Don't know where it went, though. Hate when that happens.

What I said was there are sure a lot of episodes of The Crown. It looks really enjoyable. Next up in my queue is House of Cards, the British version. Really looking forward to that.

[shenmue]

4. Death in the Air, Kate Winkler Dawson

[hermetic]

7. Hot off the press, that one

AND, The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City. Interesting.

Did you finish The Echo Man, and was it, indeed, a stunning surprise? Inquiring minds.....

[shenmue]

15. Not finished yet

[matt819]

6. Several

Just finished listening to Two kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly. Excellent.

Listening to Charlatans by Robon Cook. If the good guys don’t start tuning the tide, I’m going to give up.

Reading Paradox Bound by Peter Clines. If you have trouble with the paradox of time travel, this book won’t help. Creative take on the genre, though.

[hermetic]

10. Aww, don't give up

We need us. Tides always turn, eventually (see Julius Caesar above ^ ).

That's Connelly's newest isn't it? He's an amazing writer.

Love that comment, "...this book won't help." I read a lot of time-travel stories. I love them but don't try to really grasp the mechanics.

[onecaliberal]

9. Actually just finished An American Family yesterday.

A memoir of hope and sacrifice - Khizr Khan

[hermetic]

11. So sad...

[onecaliberal]

12. Indeed. Even more so when you read their story.

[murielm99]

13. I love Erdrich.

I have read the Love Medicine series.

Have you read LaRose? It is such an odd, beautiful book.

I think I will look for Future Home of the Living God. Thanks.

[hermetic]

14. Yes I have

Also The Master Butchers Singing Club and Love Medicine.

I would like to read The Antelope Woman, the updated edition of her National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling 1998 novel. I think she is such a wonderful, gifted writer.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this new novel.

[hermetic]

16. I almost FORGOT

I am also 1/3 of the way through Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston. While the technology stuff and stories of how politics had to be dealt with are interesting, my heart is crying out, "Let's go!" I want jungle stories. I want to know what they actually find there. Get on with it, already.

I'm sure my patience will soon be rewarded.

[murielm99]

17. Oh no.

I haven't read his stuff in awhile. Don't get me started on another author.

So many books, so little time.

[hermetic]

25. Ain't that the truth?

I gotta tell ya, tho....

Back in 2015, Douglas Preston got to join an expedition into the Honduran jungle to find a mythical ancient city and this is the book he wrote about it. It is quite the tale of adventure, and it's all true. I HAD to slip it in to my very long list of other books I wanted to read. Not sorry.

[TexasProgresive]

18. A while back I started Roddy Doyle's "The Commitments" And then I fell into Connelly.

Anyway I am back into it and enjoying it immensely. I am trying to local the middle book of the Barrytown trilogy, The Van but no luck so far. I have 1 and 3.

Looks like a lot of us at DU are reading - trying to escape- hey!

Note to hermetic- I saw the doc Monday and he's okayed me to ride my bike again. So the weather turned ugly. I did get a short ride yesterday- it felt so good.

[hermetic]

19. Hooray!

Happy for you. I was wondering if you got some of that snow.

Yeah boy, being able to escape into a good book can be quite well appreciated these days.

[TexasProgresive]

20. Its really odd about the snow

We got just light flurries but 25 miles to the south got 5 inches. The further south the more snow.

[benld74]

21. Sadly I dont read much anymore

Times would have me go through 12 books during summertime. Went through all books from certain authors.
I don’t know if I burned out?
Couldn’t find authors I enjoyed any more
Not sure really

[hermetic]

26. You should stop by here

now and then. Group participants are reading all sorts of things and I know I sure have learned about new, and old, authors that really are enjoyable to read. As far as I'm concerned, reading is the greatest gift we have. Even if it's just listening to books on CDs. Here's hoping you find your way back.

[japple]

22. Thanks for the thread, hermetic. I finished Bill McKibben's

Radio Free Vermont--A Fable of Resistance and highly recommend it, esp. to those who need a bit of laughter and fun in these dark political times. NY Times gave it a nice review: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/08/books/review-radio-free-vermont-bill-mckibben.html

Though I am not usually drawn to mysteries, I downloaded Ivy Pochoda's book, Visitation Street after reading a review of her latest book, Wonder Valley which I will download once it hits my library's e-book collection. I must say that she is an amazing writer and Visitation Street sucked me in right away.

A blurb from amazon:

Chosen by Dennis Lehane for his eponymous imprint, Ivy Pochoda’s Visitation Street is a riveting literary mystery set against the rough-hewn backdrop of the New York waterfront in Red Hook.

It’s summertime in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a blue-collar dockside neighborhood. June and Val, two fifteen-year-olds, take a raft out onto the bay at night to see what they can see.

And then they disappear. Only Val will survive, washed ashore; semi-conscious in the weeds.

This shocking event will echo through the lives of a diverse cast of Red Hook residents. Fadi, the Lebanese bodega owner, hopes that his shop will be the place to share neighborhood news and troll for information about June’s disappearance. Cree, just beginning to pull it together after his father’s murder, unwittingly makes himself the chief suspect, but an enigmatic and elusive guardian is determined to keep him safe.

Val contends with the shadow of her missing friend and a truth she buries deep inside. Her teacher Jonathan, a Julliard School dropout and barfly, wrestles with dashed dreams and a past riddled with tragic sins.

[hermetic]

27. I love mysteries

That sounds like a really good one. Thanks, my friend.

[PennyK]

23. The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King

Last edited Mon Dec 11, 2017, 08:43 PM - Edit history (2)

Next one in the series. Holmes and Russell are back home in Sussex and receive a visit from Holmes' son (gasp!), asking for help in locating his missing wife and child.
I am looking forward to Foyle's War but I think we'll go through Midsomer Murders before we dive in.
I just got a young neighbor all excited about the Holmes and Russell series, and she's going to ask for the first three books for Christmas!

[hermetic]

28. Cool!

Yeah, I shall be on the hunt for those Midsomer Murders. Need some fun new stuff to watch next year after they take the internet away from us. Dayum, can't believe I had to say that. Well, sure hoping for the best with this week's vote.

[hermetic]

33. Oh, and this!

Have you seen this yet? I didn't realize Spielberg was doing it. Looks like great fun.

[Ohiya]

24. The Dark Flood Rises - by Margaret Drabble

This was listed in the New York Times Book Review's 100 Notable Books of 2017.
I have not read anything by Drabble before.

" This masterly novel follows its 70-something heroine on a road trip through England." - NYTBR description

[hermetic]

30. Neither have I

Sounds good, though. As an almost 70-something heroine myself, I would adore taking a road trip through England.

[Runningdawg]

29. I just discovered American Gods

First on Netflix, then the book. As usual, the book is SO much better!

[hermetic]

31. Oh yes

That is an amazing book. Enjoy!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

32. The Midnight Line by Lee Child,

the most recent Jack Reacher novel.

I like them a lot. Plus, they go fast. I'll finish up later on today.

[hermetic]

37. We all love Jack

I think it's safe to say. And fast is good.

[defacto7]

34. The Orientalist

Tom Reiss
Random House

Second time around.

[hermetic]

38. By Tom Reiss?

"Part history, part cultural biography, and part literary mystery, The Orientalist traces the life of Lev Nussimbaum, a Jew who transformed himself into a Muslim."

Sure sounds like an interesting story.

[defacto7]

42. Yes... Reiss. It's quite an adventureous life.

Reiss doesn't pretend to portray this as a perfect history. But considering his exhaustive research there's no one who could know as much as he about the life of this amazing genius who wrote some great material under multiple aliases and survived from a child by morphing into different personalities. Blood and Oil in the Orient by Essad Bey, one of Nussimbaum's aliases, is still available (not the new one by M. Klare)

In my opinion The Orientalist is one of the most underrated books I've ever come across. It gave me a perspective on the early 20th century I would not have had otherwise. Extremely well researched and well written.

BTW, sorry for crashing the fiction group with non fiction. I just saw the heading. NF isn't as popular unfortunately.

[hermetic]

44. No probs...

We often discuss NF here. It's just good that people are reading and I do everything I can to encourage that. Whatever the genre. Your participation is most welcome.

[cyclonefence]

35. Dombey and Son

Alternate Dickens with some nonfiction--just finished Bill Bryson's Made in America (a little disappointed; are there no editors nowadays?). Dickens seems right for wintertime.

[hermetic]

39. True enough

Dickens in winter.

I hate finding errors in books, being an editor myself. I could use the work!

[Break time]

36. For October and November

I went through, Lee Childs Midnight Line, Baldacci's End Game,Patterson's The People VS Alex Cross,Brad Taylor Ring of Fire, John Sandfords Deep Freeze... now reading Ace Atkins(does Parkers stuff now plus his own)and have Grisham The Rooster Bar on the list as next in line...Also somewhere in there did Connelly's Two Kinds of truth..

[hermetic]

40. Wow!

Great list. Happy reading!

[Break time]

41. As you can see

I do read a lot, use a tablet and cold days and nights and being retired I have plenty of time to read and do enjoy it..

[hermetic]

45. Wonderful

Retired myself, as are several other regular participants here. Reading is what we do and we do it well. And often. Welcome.

[getting old in mke]

43. Lots of Connelly here this week

Excellent choices...

If you like Bosch & Co, and haven't yet, go check out Robert Crais as well.

He shares the same Los Angeles with Connelly. Their characters sometimes cross-over, unnamed but obvious from the descriptions, into each others books from time to time.

http://harrybosch.wikia.com/wiki/Elvis_Cole covers one direction. I don't remember off the top of my head which Crais book Bosch appears in.

Connelly and Crais are buds. Lee Child, too, although he lives on the other side of the world. No Reacher sightings in the Connelly/Crais opus yet, though.

At Bouchercon several years ago, one of the most attended sessions was Robert Crais interviewing Lee Child. I asked the question they both kinda hate, because it is so common. But irresistible with them both on stage: "One on one, who wins? Jack Reacher or Joe Pike."

Child said, "Hard fought, but Reacher."

Crais said, "It would never happen. They would always be on the same side."

He then took a couple of beats and then mock-whispered to the 500 of us: "But Pike would win.

[hermetic]

46. Nice

Thanks for sharing that.