What Fiction are you reading this week, August 11, 2024?

[hermetic]

Reading The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow In the late 1800s, three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history in Alix E. Harrow's powerful novel of magic and the suffragette movement. Ms. Harrow has written several books and won many awards; this story is amazing.

Listening to Split Image by Robert B. Parker, the 9th Chief Jesse Stone Police Procedural. What initially appears to be a low-level mob hit takes on new meaning when a high-ranking crime figure is found dead.

What amazing books are you reading this week?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. The Children of Llyr by Evangeline Walton (rereading after 50+ years)

[hermetic]

2. From 1978

Epic fantasy in its purest form.

There is a local feral cat here we call Llyr.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

8. That's a great name for a kitty!

I first read it in the early '70's (along with the others that make up the series). Ballantine Books was printing a lot of fantasy novels back then and Walton's have especially stuck with me.

[Timeflyer]

3. "The Running Grave," by J. K. Rowling ,writing as Robert Galbraith, 2023.

This is number 8 in her Cormoran Strike crime fiction series. His agency is hired to find out about a young man who has joined a high control, secretive cult. Very good recorded version available.

I've heard that Rowling is controversial for her stance on transgender. Not sure about that, but this book is engrossing for anyone interested in the mind manipulation of cults. It references real non-fiction studies of cults by authors, Steven Hassan (Combating Cult Mind Control) and Robert Jay Lifton (Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism). So--more to explore on the topic.

[hermetic]

5. That sounds

quite interesting. Thanks.

[Zoomie1986]

22. If you don't know about Ms Rowling's bigotry

Then let me help you with that:

https://www.glamour.com/story/a-complete-breakdown-of-the-jk-rowling-transgender-comments-controversy

She's put the trans hate. and her whining about people calling her out for it, right into the Galbraith books themselves.

Do what you want, but know that buying her books will be in support of one of the worst and most hateful transphobic bigots out there.

[Timeflyer]

24. I wasn't aware. I don't buy her books, thankfully--libraries are my passion. Thanks for the info.

[mentalsolstice]

4. Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg

A tragic event told by many viewpoints.

Thank you for the thread, I hope everyone is having a good reading week.

[hermetic]

6. That sounds nice

"An absorbing, unforgettable tale that reveals humanity at its best through forgiveness and hope."

[cbabe]

7. Clete/James Lee Burke

Burke is a master writer of depth and richness, especially his Dave Robicheaux titles.

Clete is Dave’s life long friend and crime fighting partner. This is our first look at Clete as a main character and person in his own right.

The plot and even the prose seemed a little flat and empty. A few moments sparked with Clete’s take on Dave.

Jeanne d’arc is a mystical magical character. She appears at pivotal moments saving Clete from the bad guys and from himself.

I don’t know quite what to think about the book and how it fits into Robicheaux series. I think I’ll re-read in a few months to see if it smooths out.

[rsdsharp]

12. I bought it on Kindle the day t came out.

It is a departure, with Dave really a minor character at best. Burke seems to be expanding his mystical side. Dave always saw Confederate dead, but Every Cloak Rolled in Blood features demons, and now Clete seeing visions of Joan of Arc. Burke is in his late 80s, and I wonder if he’s becoming more focused on his own mortality.

[Silver Gaia]

9. Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

Fourth book in the All Souls series (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Light) about what it takes to become a vampire in the world Harkness has created, where creatures (vampires, witches, and daemons) live, unknown as such, alongside humans.

Harkness is a history professor at USC who manages to use the long lives of vampires and the time-traveling abilities of her witches to open unique, vivid, detailed, and accurate windows into history. Great books!

(There's a British TV series based on the first 3 books, and it's good, but doesn't really do the books justice, IMO.)

[byronius]

10. Stars And Stripes Forever by Harry Harrison.

An excellent alternate history by an excellent writer. I love it.

[Zoomie1986]

11. Finally got to James

By Percival Everett. Loving it so far. If it keeps up like the first quarter, it will definitely be high up there for best 2024 release for me.

If I can, I'll try to get to The Memory Police by Youko Ogawa, about a society which wants things forgotten to stay that way, and has the LEO force of the title to make sure it does. I hope it's not too scary. Dystopian books that are too dystopian give me nightmares.

[yellowdogintexas]

20. My book club chose that for this month and none of us can find it!!!

(without paying full price, which none of us want to do)\

[Zoomie1986]

23. My time on the library wait list was four months

And it was worth every second of it. The book is incredible. Of course, that doesn't help with your book club, does it?

I wish I had good news that the end of the long wait lists and high prices was coming soon, but I'm afraid that won't happen. The book recently hit the first major award long list, and one of the most prestigious, the Booker Prize. As more of the award-givers announce their candidates, James will certainly be a favorite, and thus will continue to be expensive and thin on the ground in the used market, well into the fall.

As for price: Amazon has the best prices for new copies--$14.99 for the ebook, and $17.97 for the hardback.

[The King of Prussia]

13. "The Ivy Tree" by Mary Stewart

A thriller set in the shadow of Hadrian's Wall. So far it bears some similarity to "Brat Farrar", which is actually referenced in the text. It's not as good Tey's novel, and I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would.

Hope all is well with you, Hermetic.

[hermetic]

14. Well enough, my friend

Always delighted to see you. That book is an oldie, 1961. I read a few of Stewart's books from later years. This Rough Magic was pretty good, as I recall. The Moon-Spinners became a movie, I believe.

[The King of Prussia]

15. A thing from 1961

"Oldie"? Grrr 😉

[hermetic]

17. Wellll, for a book

Sure. I'd call that an oldie, but obviously not a goodie. Songs from 1961 are oldies.

I have a child, from 1961 and he's sure not an oldie. So, it's all just a matter of...matter I guess.

[Zoomie1986]

16. It's been a while since I read a Stewart mystery

I seem to recall Nine Coaches...(forget the rest) and My Brother Michael were quite good.

[yellowdogintexas]

21. Nine Coaches Waiting is the one. I read that and it was good.

I think I enjoyed Her Merlin series best.

[japple]

18. Still reading (slowly) the NF book about the Berlin Wall.

Nina Willner's Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall . It is interesting, but I don't have much time to read recently, what with trapping cats. Glad to see new folks on this thread and I've been seeing books that I would like to read.

Thank you, hermetic, for being our weekly host.

[yellowdogintexas]

19. I am still reading Cocaine Blues A Miss Fisher Murder Mystery

I have not been reading much this week, unfortunately

I do like the book. Miss Fisher is such an entertaining character

[TexLaProgressive]

25. Finished Ann Cleeves "Darkest Evening" while starting covid, yuck

Read an apocalyptic book, “Sugar Scars” by Travis Norwood. A virus has swept the world with 1 survivor in 9,600 who were immune. There’s plenty of stuff available for the survivors, but one survivor has special needs, she calls herself, Sugar. Sugar is a type 1 diabetic who will die quickly without insulin.

For a while the power and water still function and she raids all the pharmacies for insulin. Then the poser fails, with the help of another survivor, the fridge is powered by a genenerator from Home Depot. This is the begining of troubles for Sugar as she deals with expiry dates, attempts to replicate the work of Fredrick Banting and Charles Best, 100 years earlier on extracting insulin from pig pancreases.

Sugar’s quest leads her to meet good, bad and indifferent survivor. It is quit the tale.The plus for me was learning how difficult the work of Banting and Best.

Currently rereading another apocalyptic book, “Lucifer’s Hammer” by Larry Nevin and Jerry Pournelle. Earth is struck by the comet, Hamner-Brown. I’m still in the introduction of the story meeting the cast of characters. The comet is not yet visible to the naked eye still far out. There is an insulin connection in this novel, but not as fleshed out as “Sugar Scars.”

Still suffering with Covid.It may take some time to finishe Lucifer’s Hammer as I tend to fall asleep while reading. If you haven’t guessed I am a diabetic who uses insulin. Both books emphasize how fragile our modern interdependent life is. We can see this in the shortage of baby formula when one plant had issues.

[hermetic]

30. I sure do hope

you feel better soon. Sleeping is good. I remember when I had Covid, that's all I wanted to do. Hang in there, pal.

[TexLaProgressive]

32. It comes and goes

Yesterday I felt pretty good most of the day catching up with neglected chores, then early evening I was done in.

[enigmania]

26. I'm finishing

Jasper Ffordes' "The Constant Rabbit". Another delightful read from him.

[randr]

27. The Dalai Lama's Cat by David Michie

Fiction with a twist and lessons

[Bo Zarts]

28. Factotum

Charles Bukowski

[hermetic]

31. Oh my...

One of Bukowski's best, a beer-soaked, deliciously degenerate novel following the wanderings of an aspiring writer across World War II-era America.

[Dear_Prudence]

29. Need a crutch.

I wanted to read some literature, in addition to my beloved, relaxing cozy mysteries. I tried to listen to One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but I couldn't keep the many characters straight. I was so disappointed. But last night, I found that there is an online list of the characters for the novel. So, I will print it out and try following the story again. If this works, it will make other character-heavy novels available to me. 🤞 Right now, I am listening to The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan. I can't wait to find out who-dunnit!