What have you read recently?

[scfr]

Anyone else ever read Colon Whitehead?

I've read Nickel Boys and Sag Harbor. Of the 2, I much preferred Sag Harbor, which Colson Whitehead has described as autobiographical. It's a nostalgic coming-of-age tale set in the summer of '85, about teenage Benji and the other summer inhabitants of Sag Harbor, an enclave in the Hamptons established by Benji's grandparents and other Black families. It's sweet and serious and funny (Benji's New Coke diatribe is hilarious), just as a nostalgic coming-of-age novel should be.

 

[scfr]

Books 46 & 47 for the year (my goal is 52) were "On Writing" (Stephen King's memoir) and "Tracking Game" by Margaret Mizushima. Both were very good.

Tracking Game is the 5th in the K-9 Timber Creek mystery series, currently one of my favorite series. As soon as I finished this one I checked out the 6th from the library. The mysteries are suspenseful and have just the right amount of complexity, but it's the characters that keep me coming back. I enjoy the complicated heroine, Officer Mattie Cobb, and am head over heels in love with her K-9 partner Robo. The descriptions of their bond and teamwork are fascinating and (as far as I can tell) accurate, as are the many descriptions of veterinary work (Ms. Mizushima assists her husband with his veterinary practice so she knows what she's writing about). The town of Timber Creek is inhabited by other interesting and believable characters, and I look forward to visiting again.

 

[Calico]

Books 46 & 47 for the year (my goal is 52) were "On Writing" (Stephen King's memoir) and "Tracking Game" by Margaret Mizushima. Both were very good.

Tracking Game is the 5th in the K-9 Timber Creek mystery series, currently one of my favorite series. As soon as I finished this one I checked out the 6th from the library. The mysteries are suspenseful and have just the right amount of complexity, but it's the characters that keep me coming back. I enjoy the complicated heroine, Officer Mattie Cobb, and am head over heels in love with her K-9 partner Robo. The descriptions of their bond and teamwork are fascinating and (as far as I can tell) accurate, as are the many descriptions of veterinary work (Ms. Mizushima assists her husband with his veterinary practice so she knows what she's writing about). The town of Timber Creek is inhabited by other interesting and believable characters, and I look forward to visiting again.

Thanks for posting about this series.

I am always on the lookout for a new mystery series, and these sound intriguing. Unfortunately my library does not carry them, so I may be forced (HA!) to purchase them. I will look for used copies.

 

[Markola]

Picked up James Rollins’ “The Devil Colony” thriller and a DaVinci Code sort of take on alternative American history. He leverages the Book of Mormon, the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis, and Native American legends into a pretty good tale.

 

[Octogirl]

I loved reading "The Sweetness of Water" by Nathan Harris.

 

[51notout]

The Voyage of the Beagle
By: Charles Darwin

Darwin’s journal of his 5 year voyage of discovery around the world.

I did enjoy this book, with plenty of detailed descriptions of his encounters with the indigenous peoples and the local flora and fauna. One thing that detracted from the book for me was the constant use of the scientific names for the animals and plants. Not being well versed in in those left me guessing what he was talking about. Overall though, it’s a good book if you’re looking for descriptions of his discoveries and the beginnings of his theories.

 

[dixonge]

Just started The Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols


explains a lot!

 

[Luvtoride]

Tell me Lies by JP Pomare

Just listened to audiobook of this psychological thriller. Was a pretty good and well constructed story. Could see this as a Netflix movie/ series.

 

[CindyBlue]

I'm in the last quarter of the book "The Battle For Singapore" by Peter Thompson. It is SO good. And knowing the ending ahead of time just makes it better and better as the book goes on!

 

[Trailwalker]

I just finished Sunset Limited (1998) by James Lee Burke. This is the tenth book in a series featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. A heavy dose of Louisiana/New Orleans as the backdrop. I recommend.

 

[scfr]

Most recent reads that I liked:

"Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things are Better Than You Think" by Hans Rosling: This book has been on my list since Bill Gates recommended it in 2018 and I finally got around to reading it.

"Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman: This was a fun murder mystery set in a British retirement community, where a group of 4 residents gather every Thursday to discuss unsolved crimes. The characters were quite charming.

And I'm almost done with the 6th book in the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series ("Hanging Falls") and am loving it. That will be my 52nd book for the year, which means I'll have met my goal.

 

[freedom2022]

AI 2041 by Kai Fu Lee. I don't think I like the future portrayed in the book.

 

[braumeister]

I thoroughly enjoyed these recent reads:

How the Mountains Grew: A New Geological History of North America
-- John Dvorak

1774: The Long Year of Revolution
-- Mary Beth Norton

Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do About It
-- Larry Olmsted

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
-- James Nestor

 

[Calico]

Most recent reads that I liked:

"Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things are Better Than You Think" by Hans Rosling: This book has been on my list since Bill Gates recommended it in 2018 and I finally got around to reading it.

"Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman: This was a fun murder mystery set in a British retirement community, where a group of 4 residents gather every Thursday to discuss unsolved crimes. The characters were quite charming.

And I'm almost done with the 6th book in the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series ("Hanging Falls") and am loving it. That will be my 52nd book for the year, which means I'll have met my goal.

Thank you (again) for recommending the Timber Creek mysteries upthread. I am finishing the second one in the series now, and the rest are sitting on my kitchen table in my TBR pile. My home library does not carry the books, so I got a card at the library in the county next door, and checked out the entire series!

Also, did you know that Osman wrote a second Thursday Murder Club mystery? It was published at the end of September; it is called The Man Who Died Twice. I have it on hold and am (impatiently) waiting my turn in the queue.

 

[timbervest]

Ann Patchett ("The Dutch House", "Commonwealth", "State of Wonder"). Multi-decade interconnected family dramas with deep character development. Engrossing. Highly recommend The Dutch House audiobook version narrated by Tom Hanks.

 

[scfr]

Thank you (again) for recommending the Timber Creek mysteries upthread. I am finishing the second one in the series now, and the rest are sitting on my kitchen table in my TBR pile. My home library does not carry the books, so I got a card at the library in the county next door, and checked out the entire series!

Also, did you know that Osman wrote a second Thursday Murder Club mystery? It was published at the end of September; it is called The Man Who Died Twice. I have it on hold and am (impatiently) waiting my turn in the queue.

I'm glad you were able to get the Timber Creek mysteries from a library!

I did not know that the 2nd Thursday Murder Club mystery was out. I just put it on hold at my library and, like you, am waiting for my turn. Thank you!

 

[Calico]

I'm glad you were able to get the Timber Creek mysteries from a library!

I did not know that the 2nd Thursday Murder Club mystery was out. I just put it on hold at my library and, like you, am waiting for my turn. Thank you!

I now have "dual library citizenship."

I just hope Osman keeps writing the series.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Currently reading "Lonesome Dove" because it is touted as an American classic and it did win the Pulitzer prize. Over 6,000 reviews on Amazon with 5 star average rating.

Have been reading it for over a week now and am only a bit past halfway finished. Have the ebook version and had no idea the print version is almost 1,000 pages long.

It's not boring but there are far too many characters and the author has a habit of repeating each character's traits just about every time the story focuses on that character. I would say 100 pages could have been trimmed by not repeating stuff I'd already learned about each character.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Currently reading "Lonesome Dove" because it is touted as an American classic and it did win the Pulitzer prize. Over 6,000 reviews on Amazon with 5 star average rating.

Have been reading it for over a week now and am only a bit past halfway finished. Have the ebook version and had no idea the print version is almost 1,000 pages long.

It's not boring but there are far too many characters and the author has a habit of repeating each character's traits just about every time the story focuses on that character. I would say 100 pages could have been trimmed by not repeating stuff I'd already learned about each character.

Finally finished this. Cannot recommend. Written at a sixth grade level and containing one-dimensional characters who do not change. Most of the book is internal dialogue of the characters, very little action, though the scenes that contained action were nicely written.

Filled with cowboys who cry more than Tammy Faye Baker and whores everywhere. There were numerous and unnecessary sex scenes and the euphemisms the author used for the male sex organ and the sex act itself were silly.

Apparently men in the 1870's were afraid to have conversations, especially with women. No man alive knows how to treat women properly, it's amazing the human species didn't die off in the late 19th century. 95% of the characters are as dumb as fence posts.

Author would have a character go through angst and anguish about a particular course of action for dozens of pages and when an alternative course presented itself, no matter how unlikely, they took it.

Somehow, by the time it was over, an epic 1,800 cattle drive from Texas to Montana was rendered pointless.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Finally finished this. Cannot recommend. Written at a sixth grade level and containing one-dimensional characters who do not change. Most of the book is internal dialogue of the characters, very little action, though the scenes that contained action were nicely written.

Filled with cowboys who cry more than Tammy Faye Baker and whores everywhere. There were numerous and unnecessary sex scenes and the euphemisms the author used for the male sex organ and the sex act itself were silly.

Apparently men in the 1870's were afraid to have conversations, especially with women. No man alive knows how to treat women properly, it's amazing the human species didn't die off in the late 19th century. 95% of the characters are as dumb as fence posts.

Author would have a character go through angst and anguish about a particular course of action for dozens of pages and when an alternative course presented itself, no matter how unlikely, they took it.

Somehow, by the time it was over, an epic 1,800 cattle drive from Texas to Montana was rendered pointless.

Q,
You are hereby disinvited to Texas forever. [emoji4]

 

[Qs Laptop]

Q,
You are hereby disinvited to Texas forever. [emoji4]

LOL. Yeah, I guess my review is kind of harsh. Although only about a quarter of the book took place in Texas. Actually, the early parts of the book that were in Texas were probably the best part of the book. And the two main characters, Texans, were the smartest of the bunch.

Oh, my sister just retired and moved to Texas so I expect I will be visiting at some point.

 

[anethum]

A bunch of library holds became available in a short period of time. So I found myself reading 2 mysteries and 1 thriller in a brief period. I enjoyed all 3 quite a bit.

The 1st mystery was Louise Penny's latest book in her Gamache series, The Madness of Crowds. One interesting aspect is that the book specifically cites the Covid pandemic and is set in a post-pandemic period.

The 2nd mystery was Martin Walker's latest in his Bruno series, The Coldest Case. Excellent as always. He does a wonderful job at capturing the flavor of the Perigord region of France. While Bruno's town is fictitious, all of the other places in the book are real. I've visited that glorious region several times, and I felt like I was on vacation again as I read it.

And just as I was finishing that book, I got a library notice that I could pick up the Louise Penny-Hillary Clinton collaboration, State of Terror. This was definitely a page turner for me. The two authors must have had a blast writing some of the passages in the book. While it's very much a chilling thriller, there were several times that I grinned or laughed out loud at some of the things the characters said or thought. A few of the characters from Three Pines (the fictitious town in Quebec in Penny's Gamache series) make cameo appearances.
After finishing the book, it's worthwhile to read the Acknowledgments.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I just finished Project Hail Mary. Like others, I enjoyed it, but it’s not nearly as good as The Martian. Based on the feedback here, I’ll give Artemis a pass.

I just finished "Hail Mary". Basically it's MacGyver in space. The main character, a microbiologist by training, now a junior high school science teacher, becomes an astronaut (yes, really) and is sent to a distant star to study a mysterious organism that is threatening life on Earth.

Along the way he encounters all sorts of problems and technical breakdowns that require him to solve on a moment's notice and with much improvisation. This science teacher is so smart he could teach Dr. Who a thing or two about science and I suppose he could solve time travel if given a half a day to think about it.

You will need kevlar cables to suspend your disbelief if you hope to finish this book. Luckily, Andy Weir's story is breezily written and moves fast which helps to paper over the faulty science. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

 

[donheff]

Speaking of Kevlar cables to suspend disbelief, I just read Hillary Clinton's State of Terror, co-authored with Louise Penny who is an old favorite. Basically, I Hillary like Secretary of State saves the work after a Trump like administration sets the country up for a coup. It was an amusing read. Naturally, Three Pines comes into it.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Speaking of Kevlar cables to suspend disbelief, I just read Hillary Clinton's State of Terror, co-authored with Louise Penny who is an old favorite. Basically, I Hillary like Secretary of State saves the work after a Trump like administration sets the country up for a coup. It was an amusing read. Naturally, Three Pines comes into it.

Sounds kind of intriguing.

If I were to jump into the Chief Inspector Gamache novels do I need start at the beginning? Or can you point me to one of the better stories somewhere in the sequence of novels?