What Fiction are you reading this week, March 31, 2024?

[hermetic]

Happy Easter!


Still reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. It gets pretty dark in the final quarter.

Speaking of dark, it's been raining here all morning. Any egg hunts definitely cancelled. Hope you have some sun if you're planning any outdoor activities today.

Listening to The Witch Elm by Tana French. "A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we're capable of, when we no longer know who we are." It's quite good.

What's in your book basket this week?

[yellowdogintexas]

1. I finally finished Desparate Justice by Dennis Karstens (vol 2 of a 20 book series)

I do not know why it took me so long to get this one finished, but I did. It's a good read. I really like the characters and Karstens can cook up a complicated plot for sure.

Not sure what I will read next. I have several more of these on my Kindle but have also had my eye on a few others.
Same time next week!

[brer cat]

2. I'm reading Void Moon by Michael Connelly written in 2000.

I'm having trouble getting into the book which I think is because the main character is a thief from Las Vegas. I will finish the book but without enthusiasm at this point.

[hermetic]

3. I guess I missed that one

Just read a description and it doesn't sound at all familiar. I did notice, though, that some reviews said it started out kind of slow but did pick up later so maybe that will be a help to you, as well. Hang in there.

[brer cat]

5. I had missed it also. I ran across it at the library and it was not familiar to me.

I hope it does pick up.

[NanaCat]

13. I vaguely remember that one

Some of the Connellys, I went through multiple times as first treeware reading, then as audiobooks.

Void Moon I read, but it didn't seem like anything worth going back to.

Interesting tidbit. The heroine of this one (Cassie?) shows up in a Bosch book, The Narrows, as Harry's hotel neighbour in Vegas. They're balcony smoking buddies, but she clears out after she learns he's a cop, LOL.

[cbabe]

4. Waiting for library holds, rereading

Parable of the Sower/ Butler
The older I get, the better the book.

Comfort reading:

Ocean Prey/Stanford
Made me laugh even though tragedy strikes.

Kingdom of the Blind/Penny
The details are picture perfect.

(I also somehow missed Void Moon. Will give it a try. Thanks.)

[hermetic]

8. Excellent little list there

All books well worth reading, twice even.

[cbabe]

10. Occurred to me we listen to songs over and over. But

rereading is somehow a bit of a raised eyebrow.

I’m learning to cherish rereading, deeper dive at the author’s craft and the characters, plot, location.

Like a comfy pair of old shoes. Or something.

[NanaCat]

15. I had no choice about becoming an avid re-reader

I didn't always live near a library or a bookstore. Even when I did, my mum never had a 9-5 job thanks to surgeries not being on that kind of schedule. So she wasn't the best about getting us to a public library on a regular basis. It was rare for us to return books on time, because her schedule was always so jam-packed and hectic. I found constantly dealing with that so embarrassing that I pretty much gave up on going until I was old enough to get around without her.

So I valued my small library at home, and read the books I had over and over. Thankfully, I had quite a few of them and mum was pretty generous about getting more whenever we shopped at the mall. In fact, I'd be bugging her to go to the bookstore until she agreed, even when we were looking for attire for me.

Who else here never had their parents in a panic about finding them at the mall if they lost track of a kid, because, 99% of the time, the kid was at the bookstore? I was that kid.

[hermetic]

18. Nice story

Thanks for sharing.

I grew up on military bases and always had a library within walking distance, as I recall. I think I must have been 18 the first time I even went to a mall.

[cbabe]

19. The free little libraries in my neighborhood saved me

during the dark Covid times when the real libraries and bookstores were closed.

Such a gift.

[NanaCat]

32. Free libraries are a recent thing; I was talking about the 70s.

If you've never lived in a book desert, you have no idea how much you can treasure a personal library.

[yellowdogintexas]

24. I was also that kid. Of course my mom was also going to visit the bookstore so

it was kind of a given. We were heavy duty readers.

Our nearest library was about 14 miles away and I would go every time I had a chance. In summer I would spend a week with either my grandparents or my aunt and trek over to the library, load up with books then read them all and go back for more. At the end of the week I would load up on a batch to take home and head into town with anyone who was going and trade them in.

We also had the Bookmobile Lady who made a regular stop.

When I got older I did not need the library because we actually had a pretty good one in our house.

Mr YD and the YellowPup are also big time readers. She had a pretty large book collection of her own. . We fought over the new Harry Potter and Game of Thrones books when they came out.

[NanaCat]

31. We didn't have bookmobiles :(

Also lived about 20 miles from a bookstore, but we lived inan early gated community near a rather small city (55K). So no public transit. The social class of the neighbourhood was upper middle-class/wealthy, so Mums were not 'traditional' housewives a la 1970s. They were always 'doing' every day while the husband was at work: Women's clubs, golf, tennis, shopping, and etc. Which meant no rides into town.

Even if the rides had been available, I wouldn't have gotten in a car with any of the resident haus fraus if you paid me. Not with as banged up on booze, benzos or benzies as so many of them seemed to be.

It was far safer to stick to home and re-read the books I had, rather than risking death.

[japple]

6. Thank you for the weekly thread, hermetic. I'm reading Percival Everett's The Trees

from amazon:

Percival Everett’s The Trees is a page-turner that opens with a series of brutal murders in the rural town of Money, Mississippi. When a pair of detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation arrive, they meet expected resistance from the local sheriff, his deputy, the coroner, and a string of racist White townsfolk. The murders present a puzzle, for at each crime scene there is a second dead body: that of a man who resembles Emmett Till.

The detectives suspect that these are killings of retribution, but soon discover that eerily similar murders are taking place all over the country. Something truly strange is afoot. As the bodies pile up, the MBI detectives seek answers from a local root doctor who has been documenting every lynching in the country for years, uncovering a history that refuses to be buried. In this bold, provocative book, Everett takes direct aim at racism and police violence, and does so in a fast-paced style that ensures the reader can’t look away. The Trees is an enormously powerful novel of lasting importance from an author with his finger on America’s pulse.

I have this author's latest work, James, on my list TBR. It's a highly anticipated book:

"A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

Sorry you're having dark, rainy weather--a good day to curl up and read! It's warm and sunny here. My sister and I went walking at our local park, picking up trash as usual. We filled two bags today--mostly easter candy wrappers. I expect tomorrow will be even worse.

[hermetic]

7. Oh my...

Definitely going to read that one: The Trees. Sounds amazing.

What a lovely way to spend the day, walking with your sister. Good on you.

[yellowdogintexas]

9. that sounds so good! I went over to Amazon and put it on my wish list nt

[cbabe]

11. Trees and James now on my library list. I also

highly recommend ‘My Jim’ by Nancy Rawles.

As told by Jim’s wife. Five star prose. Surviving and love.

[Bayard]

29. That sounds like one I'll be looking for

Thanks!

[NanaCat]

12. Two books about the toxic effects of religion

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Don't think I need to belabour that one.

Also Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz Ahmed, about a political activist who's estranged from her Muslim Indian family since she came out as a lesbian. She seeks reconciliation with her family during the final days of her pregnancy, and the POV is unusual: The fetus inside her.

So a weird reading week.

[hermetic]

14. Yes, sounds like...

Enjoy.

[Number9Dream]

16. Just finished "Centurion" by Simon Scarrow

Thanks for the thread, hermetic.

This was the first book by this author which I read. It is the seventh book in the series, but it read fine as a stand-alone. It's set in the first century AD, and it's a Roman army vs a Parthian army. As historical fiction, it was quite a good, action, page-turner. Reminded me of Bernard Cornwell.

[hermetic]

17. Good find

You always come up with action packed history. Keep up the good reads. Thanks for sharing.

[SeattleVet]

20. 'Chained Eagle', by Edward 'Otto' Pernotto.

Decent war-rescue mission action novel. He brings in some actual (failed) experimental aircraft for this rescue from an Iranian prison. Not bad for a first novel, but it took a bit before the flow got going.

My attraction to is was that the author was the Weapons System Officer (co-pilot) on FB-111A aircraft that I worked on when I was stationed at Plattsburgh. I also know a relative of his here in the Pacific Northwest.

[hermetic]

22. That's pretty cool

Knowing someone and working in the same field. I enjoy reading stories that take place in cities where I lived or involve people I'm familiar with. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[SeattleVet]

33. Unfortunately, the book has nothing to do with the aircraft he flew.

It deals with a relatively obscure historical blip in aviation - the 'Goodyear Inflatoplane'...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodyear_Inflatoplane

[txwhitedove]

21. "Hoppy" day to you too, Hermetic. Sadly, I am about #300 on library list waiting to read

The H&E Grocery Store, darn. So, read The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy. New author to me but now anxious to read many more of her stories. WW2 remembrance of a highland village turned into a base for Royal Navy convoys. Lovely characters and rich in atmosphere of village life at that time.

Just finished reading #4 and best of Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series so far, The Dog Who Knew Too Much. "...hired to find a kid named Devin who has gone missing from a wilderness camp in the high country." Real mystery, daring escapes, exciting, and funny.

[hermetic]

23. Love Chet and Bernie stories

I bought the Heaven & Earth book because same here, incredibly long waiting list. Someone gave me a B&N gift certificate for Christmas so I jumped right on that opportunity. It is an amazing book.

Hopping off to my Easter dinner now. Wishing you a lovely evening.

[mentalsolstice]

25. Thank you hermetic for the weekly thread!

I finished When the Jessamine Grows. Interesting view about the treatment of those who did want to take a side during the Civil War. They were yeoman farmers who got by in the south without slaves or laborers.

And I just finished A Piece of the World by Christina Kline-Baker, also excellent. It’s about Christina Olson, the subject of Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting Christina’s World.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. The Secret Life of John Le Carre & The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

Secret Life is an addendum by his biographer after the death of the author.

[Midnight Writer]

27. The North Woods by Douglass Hoover

Three ex-combat veterans enter the vast Maine woods in search of their missing comrade.

As disaster after disaster plague them, they realize they are being "led" by clues left by unknown source, and also that they are not alone in the woods.

I've not finished, but so far it is well-written with complex character interactions among the three.

[lynintenn]

28. Thee Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks.

historical fiction.

[Bayard]

30. I finished, "Touch & Go," by Lisa Gardener

Liked it a lot. I figured out who the bad guy was right before the cops did.

Also finished, "In the Night Room," by Peter Straub. Like his other books, it takes awhile to get rolling, along with many strange characters.

Just started, "Heat Lightening," by one of my old favorites, John Sanford. Love the continuing Virgil Flowers character.

Hope you had a nice Easter, Hermetic! I will look for the 2 you are reading. Sound good.