What Fiction are you reading this week, August 20, 2023?

[hermetic]

Reading in the rain...

I am reading The Great Darkness by Jim Kelly. Cambridge, 1939. The opening weeks of WWII and the first blackout (The Great Darkness) covers southern England. A lot goes on in that darkness. Val McDermid calls this "Intelligent crime fiction -- leaving the reader hungry for more." I'm sure liking it.

Listening to Deacon King Kong by James McBride. This is a heck of a story. 1969, New York. A wise and witty tale about what happens to the witnesses of a shooting. Involving and honest, with a huge cast of characters. Good listening.

What are you liking this week?

I am enjoying the rain in this normally dry, dusty part of the country but there are warnings that it could get out of hand. Stay safe out there

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Does The Bible count?

[hermetic]

2. It does qualify

as fiction. But I'd bet it's not what you've been reading. Besides, it's actually a collection of books. So, which one, specifically?

[no_hypocrisy]

28. Old Testament.

Looking at Judges.

[BlueGreenLady]

3. The Chef's Secret (a guilty pleasure read)

My Historical Fiction Book Club this month is reading this sumptuous, poisonous feast of a book about a secret love affair between a commoner chef and a Principessa of a most famous family in Rome during the Renaissance.

[hermetic]

6. Yum

"Come hungry!" A delectable read stuffed with passion, danger, and a plot worthy of Dan Brown. Fast-paced and engrossing.

[txwhitedove]

4. Thanks for The Great Darkness review, sounds great and I enjoy stories from that

time period. Well, I must say Song of Achilles was truly a good book. Not a favorite but very good, and had me researching further about Achilles. Now, some 50 years after first read, I am re-reading Lost Horizon by James Hilton. Set in 1930's before WW2, four people are kidnapped and transported to the Tibetan mountains. Yes, an entertaining read, still love the mystery and magic.

[hermetic]

7. Ooh, Shangri-La

Gosh, I read that, too. About that long ago, as well. I should look for that again. It's not that long...

[The King of Prussia]

33. I too recommend the Jim Kelly books

I'm reading The Mathematical Bridge - the next in the series.
You might also look out for Mike Hollow's Blitz Detective series - set at the same time, but in London rather than Cambridge.

[1WorldHope]

5. Bohemian Girl by Terese Svobada

[hermetic]

8. That sounds like fun

Part Huck Finn, part True Grit, this story of a slave girl's encounter with the dark and brutal history of the American West is a true original.

[1WorldHope]

9. Thanks for posting that for me. My father's family came over from Czechoslovakia

in the 1880's so it does interest me. The name of the author is a name I grew up with, Svobada. It's well written.

[japple]

20. This sounds great. Putting it on my list! eom

[cbabe]

10. The K Team/David Rosenfelt

New to me series. Retired cops in New Jersey as private investigators. Bright easy read.

And there’s a dog as a supporting character.

…

Also I need to rant about The Hunt/Faye Kellerman. Deep vicious violent xxx pornography in half of the book. Adds nothing to the book. Wrecks the author’s reputation. I warn against this title emphatically. Wish I had been warned so images were not in my head.

[hermetic]

12. Oh, ick

Thanks for pointing that out. I was thinking her name was familiar though I didn't recognize any of her titles. Maybe that's why.

[roscoeroscoe]

11. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Gateway to a great run of books by Heller

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/13330761

[hermetic]

14. Siounds like a good trip

"The Dog Stars is both savagely funny and achingly sad, a breathtaking story about what it means to be human."

[cbabe]

18. Sounds great. Also a couple more

good dog (pun intended) titles:

Robert Crais/Suspect

and

Alex Kava/Ryder Creed series

[japple]

21. The Dog Stars is an excellent book. I loved it.

eom

[Jeebo]

13. "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead

I'm between novels right now, but this is the next one I'm going to read. It sounds really interesting ...

-- Ron

[hermetic]

15. A classic

Everyone should read.

[democrank]

16. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

She really brings her characters to life.

[hermetic]

17. Cool

I'm still waiting for my turn to get that.

[BlueTsunami2018]

19. "Lloth's Warrior" by R.A. Salvatore

The 47th (yes, you read that right) installment of the popular Legend of Drizzt series. It’s epic fantasy set in the Forgotten Realms of AD&D.

I highly recommend these books if you’re a fan of sword and sorcery adventure.

[hermetic]

24. Fun. Thanks

[japple]

22. Still Reading James McBride's latest,

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and it is wonderful. His writing is so musical and hypnotic. I really get lost in the story. I will have to get hold of Deacon King Kong.

ETA: Wish you could send us some of that rain. It is so freaking hot here in Georgia--in more ways than one. Thank dog for AC!

[hermetic]

25. Yeah, it's a relief

Been brutally hot for weeks. It's only 67 degrees right now. Got all the doors and windows open. Kitties are all stretched out on the catio. Smiling. Hope you get some relief soon.

[bahboo]

23. about a third of the way thru Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes...

pure magic thus far....gotta really pay attention with all the terminology, but well worth it, as it helps you get immersed in the world of the book...

[hermetic]

26. Nice

Got that one on my list.

[brer cat]

27. When These Mountains Burn, David Joy.

He is a marvelous story teller, but the subject matter is drug abuse which is a bit dark for me. I live near Western North Carolina where this is set and that, combined with his fine writing, made me keep turning pages despite the subject matter.

[hermetic]

30. Thanks for sharing

[japple]

34. Thank you! I lived in WNC for many years and still have a strong attachment to

that part of the country. Thought this interview with the author might interest others: https://dailyyonder.com/qa-author-david-joy-on-the-trials-and-triumphs-of-writing-about-rural-north-carolina/2023/06/16/

[brer cat]

35. Thank you!

[mentalsolstice]

29. A lot of great titles on here this week. My wishlist continues to grow!

I just ordered my t-shirt for ALA’s Banned Books Week, Oct. 1-7. I’ve read many but not all, having gone to a rural high school in the 70s. Many of the books on the shirt I did go on to read as as an adult. However, I’m embarrassed to admit there are a few I haven’t read. Right now I’m reading The Catcher in the Rye.

I finished Hello Beautiful. I gave it 4/5 stars. Enjoy the rain, we could use some, but as with you, be careful what you wish for!

[hermetic]

31. Good for you!

I remember when I read The Catcher in the Rye when I was a teen. I was I didn't know they put stuff like that in books. And I loved it!

[yellowdogintexas]

37. I did not like it at all nt

[mike_c]

32. thought it was fiction, but turns out it isn't

I'm reading The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann. Serving as sailors in the British Navy sucked!

[yellowdogintexas]

36. still reading Echos of Atlantis, which I had just started

last Sunday.
in case you didn't see it last week, here's the cover notes

Echoes of Atlantis: Crones, Templars and the Lost Continent (Templars in America Series Book 6)

Evidence of the lost continent of Atlantis exists throughout the modern world. As do powerful groups who do not want Atlantis—and its secrets—to be rediscovered.

Historians Cameron Thorne and Amanda Gunn stumble upon a mysterious spiral necklace and a 12,000-year-old human skull, sparking their search for Atlantis and its true legacy. But are modern-day Knights Templar and a cabal of goddess worshipers conspiring against them? Only after a whirlwind of international travel and a violent encounter with a shadowy paramilitary group do the mysteries of Atlantis finally reveal themselves.

Based on actual historical artifacts, and illustrated.

I've read the first 5 plus another one out of order; it's a good series.

[hermetic]

39. i did see

Definitely want to read that one. I've always been intrigued by Atlantis. Way dowwwwnnn, below the ocean....

[yellowdogintexas]

44. the whole series is great. Start with the first one

there is a lot of stuff to know about the main characters

[TexLaProgressive]

38. Had an overly full week

Just finished "The Dark Hours." It was very good, never read a bad Connolly book.

"We Begin at the End" by Chris Whitaker is my new read, I am not sure the writing is choppy, maybe it will improve.

[hermetic]

40. That is a good one

The other sounds promising. Lots of people seem to like it. Hope it holds up for you.

[TexLaProgressive]

41. He writes really short sentences.

It's taking a bit getting used to. I wonder how it would be as an audible book?

[hermetic]

42. My library has the audio

I will check it out next week.

[TexLaProgressive]

43. I really like audiobooks

I don't want AI t steal the income of some of the great readers.

Let me know how it goes with that book. I have another overly full week. I thought that eased up with retirement🤩

[yellowdogintexas]

45. House of Spies by Daniel Silva

I needed a Gabriel Allon adventure. Excellent as always.

A heart-stopping tale of suspense, Daniel Silva’s runaway bestseller, The Black Widow, was one of 2016’s biggest novels. Now, in House of Spies, Gabriel Allon is back and out for revenge – determined to hunt down the world’s most dangerous terrorist, a shadowy ISIS mastermind known only as Saladin.

Four months after the deadliest attack on the American homeland since 9/11, terrorists leave a trail of carnage through London’s glittering West End. The attack is a brilliant feat of planning and secrecy, but with one loose thread.

The thread leads Gabriel Allon and his team of operatives to the south of France and to the gilded doorstep of Jean-Luc Martel and Olivia Watson. A beautiful former British fashion model, Olivia pretends not to know that the true source of Martel’s enormous wealth is drugs. And Martel, likewise, turns a blind eye to the fact he is doing business with a man whose objective is the very destruction of the West. Together, under Gabriel’s skilled hand, they will become an unlikely pair of heroes in the global war on terror.

Written in seductive and elegant prose, the story moves swiftly from the glamour of Saint-Tropez to the grit of Casablanca and, finally, to an electrifying climax that will leave readers breathless long after they turn the final page.

But House of Spies is more than just riveting entertainment; it is a dazzling tale of avarice and redemption, set against the backdrop of the great conflict of our times. And it proves once again why Daniel Silva is “quite simply the best”