What Fiction are you reading this week, January 5, 2020?

[hermetic]

Words to the wise.

I’m reading Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny. Lots of suspense. Parts of this story involve characters not understanding other people’s manner of speech/accents. It's good but somewhat diminished by my having already read the next book, A Better Man.

Listening to Tooth and Nail, the 3rd Inspector Rebus novel from ’92. Rebus goes to London and doesn’t care much for it. His comments are quite amusing and often involve, coincidentally, misunderstood patois. Also, a mysterious serial killer.

What good things are you reading this week?

A sad

[wnylib]

1. Sounds like you are drawn to a theme about

verbal misunderstandings.

I'm reading a Cook book. -- Robin Cook. Have read several of his works and afterward, always feel like I've taken a biology course. He gets into terminology that is second nature ro him as a surgeon, but at least explains it, via character discussions and actions, so rhe readers can follow.

This one is titled Genesis. I just started it. From the inside flap summary, it involves using both DNA and genealogical websites to solve a murder case, which expands to more than one murder.. I have a good general (very general) understanding of DNA and genealogy is a hobby of mine, so it looked like a good read for me.

Cook always presents thought-provoking medical ethics issues in his books, which is one. reason I enjoy them. They have more depth than the average murder mystery. Also, there is diversity among his characters and the women are capable and responsible, as well as having full personal social lives. And, of course, the stories are entertainong and hold the reader's interest.

I went through a non-fiction spell for a while and am back to fiction again with this book.

[hermetic]

2. I have read

and enjoyed several Cook books myself, starting with Coma, way back when.

Genealogy comes in to play in Kingdom of the Blind, too.

Glad you stopped by. Hope to see you again.

[dweller]

3. rereading Mick Herron's

The Last Voice You Hear
and will follow with his This Is What Happened

✌🏼

[hermetic]

4. Sounds good

Right up my alley...

Oxford private investigator Zoë Boehm struggles with the aftereffects of her violent past as she hunts for a killer—or has she become the hunted?

[marble falls]

5. The latest WH statement on Iraq/Iran.

[murielm99]

6. The Unquiet Grave,

by Sharyn McCrumb. It is based on a true story. It involves The Greenbrier Ghost and a strange murder trial.

[hermetic]

7. Definitely looking forward

to reading that one.

[TexasProgresive]

8. Terry Pratchett's 1st Discworld book, "The Color of Magic."

I gave up on the Poul Anderson book, he's just too libertarian for me.
The Color of Magic takes some getting into. This place is quirky, funny, violent and more, but I am liking it. Pratchett thought that it would be better to not start with this one as he didn't know what was going to happen. From what I understand 1 and 2 are the only ones that need to be read sequentially.

I have "Tooth and Nail" waiting.

[hermetic]

9. Glad to hear

that you are enjoying it. I think we could all use a bit of funny and quirky in our lives right now.

[northoftheborder]

10. The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. When her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the legendary Shah Abbas the Great.

Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage to a wealthy man, the young woman finds herself faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to create a new life.

I liked this book; I'm interested in Persian carpets, which is the central focus in this young woman's life, and goes into great detail about the design and weaving industry, which was almost altogether done by women in those days (the weaving part of it). Also sad but poignant is the status of women in that society, which may not have changed much in hundreds of years.

[murielm99]

12. I read that book a while ago.

It is a good one.

[The King of Prussia]

11. I'm also in the world of Three Pines

But not Three Pines itself. "Beautiful Mystery" by Louise Penny. Not enjoying it as much as usual - missing the regular characters.
Just finished "Fall From Grace" (David Raker #5) by Tim Weaver - about a private detective who specialises in missing persons. Pretty good.

[hermetic]

13. That one does

run on a bit, and I, too, missed seeing the usual cast. BUT, there are some really impressive things about it. For one, it got me to seek out some Gregorian Chants which I listened to while reading. That was nice. Doing an image search for saint-gilbert-entre-les-loups monastery revealed some gorgeous photos like this one


Plus, what occurs at the end is quite powerful. So, I have to agree with this: from a review in the Globe & Mail,
... works as a catalyst for an ongoing series of inquiries into the nature of faith, loyalty and friendship, deepening familiar characters and developing relationships in a realistic, often painful fashion. It’s a stirring, thought- provoking read, less a matter of whodunit than a relentless questioning of why any of us do anything. The Beautiful Mystery satisfies as a mystery, and stands as a powerful literary novel in its own right, regardless of whether one has read the previous seven novels in the series.