What Fiction are you reading this week, October 10, 2021?

[hermetic]

I seem to be overbooked with things to do right now. So, I'm still reading Hour of the Hunter and Doomsday Book. I also picked up a little gem called Bookends : collected intros and outros. A brilliant, idiosyncratic collection of introductions and afterwords (plus some liner notes) selected by Michael Chabon. Here's a good way to increase your reading list. I've never heard of any of these books, so far, but the intros are certainly piquing my interest in reading them.

What books are piquing your interest this week?

[The King of Prussia]

1. "The Long Call" by the marvellous Ann Cleeves.

First in a new series set in North Devon. I've been saving it, but there's going to be an adaptation on the TV soon, so I'm making sure I've read it first.

I finished the Dangerous Davies book I started last week. Pretty good, but there will be no more.

Otherwise it's been an odd week. I was "pinged" by the NHS Covid app twice for being in close contact with someone who had tested positive. One of those contacts was for about 3 hours, so I figured I might have caught it. But no. Tested negative twice. It may be false confidence but I'm feeling pretty bullet proof at the moment. Hurrah for Astra Zeneca!

Over the past 3 weeks or so our village and the neighbouring ones have been in the midst of a huge Covid outbreak but this hasn't converted into hospitalisations or deaths (fingers crossed).

I hope things are looking brighter where you are.

[hermetic]

3. What a great app!

Glad you tested negative. Stay safe.

I don't think we have anything like that app here. Considering how crazy it is around here, my phone would be pinging every few hours. This is why I never go anywhere now except the grocery. Double masked. Speaking of which, I need to go there now since it's supposed to snow tomorrow. A bit early yet for that. Everything here is a mess.

[The King of Prussia]

4. Snow ❄? Wow!

We've been having a bit of an Indian Summer, but I think it's over now. We often get the weather the Eastern US had but I can't imagine snow anytime soon.

The app caused a lot of problems because it was pinging about 600,000 people a week and the guidance was to isolate. It's better now because the guidance is to get a PCR test.

[bif]

2. "Here and Now and Then" by Mike Chen

Just started it. It involves time travel and it's okay so far. Haven't read much sci-fi in year but I'll give it my usual 50 pages.

Finished "The Atomic Weight of Love" a couple days ago. Highly recommend it. Excellent book!

[hermetic]

7. It does sound good

"A uniquely emotional genre-bending debut, Here and Now and Then captures the perfect balance of heart, playfulness, and imagination." :thumbsuo:

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. I read that a couple of years ago and really liked it.

[bif]

15. Perhaps I should have stuck with it

I gave up after 50 pages. Just not into sci-fi any more.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

16. No. If a particular book isn't working for you, put it down.

There are too many books out there you will like to waste your time on something that isn't holding your interest.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. The Apostle Killer by Richard Beard.

Cassius Gallio is trying to prove that the Resurrection of Jesus is a hoax. Beard has created an amazing version of the Middle East 2,000 years ago, with cars, airplanes, computers, and cell phones. I'm finding it fascinating.

[hermetic]

6. That does sound fascinating

Made even more so by not showing up in the Fiction Database. A little digging revealed it is also known as Acts of the Assassins with the author as Richard Beard Aia. Hope that helps anyone else who might want to find this one. I sure do. I enjoy alternative Bible stories. So thanks.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. I got it from my library.

He's shown just as Richard Beard on the book.

I also recently read The Day That Went Missing by him, about the drowning death of his younger brother. It was so traumatic that the family essentially never talked about it or even that brother for decades after. Beard decided he had to recapture what happened. A very moving and disturbing book.

[Jilly_in_VA]

12. I like alternative history

Pamela Sargeant has written a couple of good ones, the names of which escape me at the moment. They're a bit steampunk-y, or at least one of them is. The other has the Plains tribes defeating the US Army, which was pretty cool.

Are you familiar with the site uchronia.com? It has a sort of comprehensive list of alternative history novels and stories by dates of divergence. Not sure how up to date it is though.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

17. No, I had not seen that site before.

Thanks for letting me know about it.

[Polly Hennessey]

9. I am starting a book by Margaret Maron,

One Coffee With. It is her first book introducing Lt. Detective Sigrid Harald, NYPD. It is only 179 pages long. So far, I am busy wading through all the Art History professors and others who people the Art Department at Vanderlyn College. It is a harmless bedtime read. 🤗

[hermetic]

10. Can't go wrong with that,

IMO

[Jilly_in_VA]

11. Two things, actually

I had started Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu (author of The Three-Body Problem) and although it's pretty good, I kind of stalled out. I don't know whether it's his style or the translation, but it's a bit dry going. I'll get back to it eventually. In the meantime I had won a book giveaway on Goodreads (yay me!) of a Kindle edition of a book I'd particularly wanted, War Bunny by Christoper St. John. Anyone who enjoyed Watership Down may like this one. Or not. It's a little strange. It reminds me a bit of The Guardians of Ga'hoole series, which I started my first grandchild on years ago and which he loved. (We also liked the movie.) I'm not very far in because we've had two rock and jewelry shows in two weeks so been a little busy.

[hermetic]

14. Hey, lucky you

Sounds like a great story. Won a few awards already. And the author volunteers for several animal rescue organizations so you can bet he's a good person to write about animals. I adored Watership Down; cried at the end because I didn't want it to be over. So I definitely look forward to finding this wonderful-sounding book. Thanks!

[yellowdogintexas]

18. Weekend Warriors by Fern Michaels

first in a long series. !I have been picking them up on Amazon when they are offered at $1.99 or less. I have actually been reading these books out of order - which is something I never do. I think there are 32 in all. The essence of the series:

Life isn’t fair. Most women know it. But what can you do about it? Plenty . . . if you’re part of the Sisterhood. On the surface, these seven women are as different as can be—but each has had her share of bad luck, from cheating husbands to sexist colleagues to a legal system that often doesn’t do its job. Now, drawn together by tragedy, they’re forging a bond that will help them right the wrongs committed against them and discover an inner strength they didn’t know they had. Growing bolder with each act of justice, the Sisterhood is learning that when bad things happen, you can roll over and play dead . . . or you can get up fighting . . .

Let me tell you, the revenge they extract in this first book is monumental!!