What Fiction are you reading this week, September 1, 2024?

[hermetic]

Just started reading The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. "A riveting, powerful novel about a pilot living in a world filled with loss.." Most plant and animal life are gone and only a few humans survived a deadly "flu." Published in 2012, it's certainly prescient. It does have some humor, and a dog, so I'm enjoying it so far.

Listening to Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich. The 30th title in the popular Stephanie Plum series. So funny! Having one roommate can be a challenge. But three? Hilarity ensues.

What books are you enjoying this week?

I do hope you are enjoying this holiday weekend.

[Srkdqltr]

1. Love Stephanie Plum. I' m reading my way through Discworld right now.

Disc world fits right in with current events.
I'm waiting for a new book by Jodi Taylor.
I seem to be way into fantasy lately.

[yellowdogintexas]

12. Mr YD and I are both Discworld fans. We actually discovered Sir Terry through DU

and have really enjoyed them. I have not read them all but he has and recently read them all . We also have a number of his other books. Wonderful books!

[BOSSHOG]

2. FAST ICE by Clive Cussler

I like a Cussler about three times a year. Not my favorite author but he gives a good wacky adventure that doesn’t take much effort to keep up with. Our library always has a pile of used books for sale dirt cheap. It’s like a box of chocolates. Ya never know what you’re gonna get.

Off to a family reunion this Labor Day Sunday. Weather is grand.

[mentalsolstice]

3. Happy Labor Day!

I just finished The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. It’s about the 1935 Labor Day hurricane that hit the Florida Keys.

Thank you for sharing your books! Happy holiday to everyone.

[LisaM]

4. I just read "Bark" by Lorrie Morgan (short stories).

The book has been sitting around the house for a few years and I picked it up and WOW, was I glad I did. She's extremely funny and the stories all border on the absurd but seem completely realistic. She's a little like Raymond Carver, except she completely has her own voice. I highly recommend this book.

[TexLaProgressive]

5. "The Nidderdale Murders" Yorkshire by JR Ellis

[hermetic]

6. Cozy

That's #5 of 10 Yorkshire Murder Mysteries. I looked up pictures of Yorkshire Dales and it is so pretty. Very green with many villages of picture perfect stone homes, historic buildings and dry stone walls. So peaceful, well...except for all the murders.

[japple]

7. Thank you for the weekly thread, hermetic. I LOVED The Dog Stars, esp. the dog.

It does have a few of those nail biting moments.

Still reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Haven't had time for much lately what with cat activities.

[txwhitedove]

8. Happy 1st of September. Broke my 3 week reading block after Hr Beryl with #12 of Chet & Bernie

Last edited Tue Sep 3, 2024, 03:34 PM - Edit history (1)

mysteries, It's a Wonderful Woof. Funny from page one and really good about a missing fellow PI, buried secrets, artifacts, and bodies. Oh, and author works in a quote from wonderful political writer Molly Ivins!! Don't you just wonder what she would say about tRump?

Read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. No, never saw the movie, so this tale of a depression era traveling circus was all new to me. An exciting, funny, sad, and romantic page turner that I loved so much I bought a used hardback from Thriftbooks.

Read #1 of TG Reid's series on DCI Bone, Dark is the Grave. Set in Scotland, great characters and storyline about a possible copycat killer again plaguing local coppers. I'll be reading more.

What's next? I obviously don't want non-fiction, because after 50 plus pages of reading very well written All the Worst Humans by Phil Elwood, I'm taking it back to the library.

[yellowdogintexas]

11. I would so love to hear Molly's opinions on Trump

I am sure it would require some heavy editing before it could go in the newspaper. I do miss her.

I have a friend (she was a writer for the Star Telegram) who once had dinner with Molly Ivins, Gov Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan and Liz Carpenter! Can you imagine?

[Zoomie1986]

16. Wonder no more

A Molly Ivins quote ca 2000:

'All this follows months of discussion on burning topics like W. Bush’s alleged drug use thirty years ago, vast attention to Gore’s shifting from blue suits to earth tones, Donald Trump being treated as though any reasonable citizen would consider voting for him, the Warren Beatty candidacy, and much more that is of no help whatever in selecting the next Leader of the Free World.'

[rsdsharp]

9. I'm reading The Burning Land, number 5 in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales series.

I finished Sword Song, number 4 in the series, and realized half way through that I’d read it before. At about the one third mark there was a scene that seemed familiar, but I didn’t think much of it. A little later there was another, and at the half way point there was a scene where I even remembered the dialogue. I don’t know when I read it before, or why I bought the fourth book in a series to read as a stand alone, but I did.

[yellowdogintexas]

10. I want that library/reading room!

I started a new series last week (Music City Murders) and am on book 2,

Book 1 is Dead Folks' Blues DEAD FOLKS' BLUES (Edgar Allan Poe Award Winner)
Newly licensed P.I. Harry James Denton nearly goes broke before his first case comes in. Unfortunately, it’s the last person he wants to see, his old girlfriend and the first woman to break his heart, Rachel Fletcher. Rachel’s married now, to a rich doctor who’s a compulsive gambler and cheater. When Harry starts investigating the doctor and the doctor winds up dead, Harry’s number one with a bullet on the suspect list.

Book 2 is TORCH TOWN BOOGIE (Shamus Award Nominee)
Harry James Denton is looking for another case—and he gets one when the magnificent mansion across the street from his apartment is consumed in a suspicious fire. The blaze has all the scorch marks of the East Nashville Arsonist, a phantom firebug whose burning desire seems to be driving gentrifiers out of Harry's funky, rundown neighborhood. This time, though, the modus operandi includes murder.

I am enjoying these books, and my favorite character is Music City. I lived there for 15 years and it is great fun to join the main character at some of my favorite eateries.

Before I started this series, I read #3 in the Southern Beach Mysteries "The Shrimp Did It" by Kay Dew Shostak Once again the Sophia Island Shrimp Festival is over. Thousands attended to eat shrimp, shop, and watch the pirates come ashore as usual, but this year’s temperatures were warmer than ever. Everyone is happy that the busy hot weekend is over and everyone came through unscathed. Or so it seems.
Jewel and Craig Mantelle also made it through their kids and families’ first visit to their new island home. But it didn’t go nearly as smooth as the Shrimp Festival. Craig is now back in South Florida on his job and Jewel is sweating it out in the old house without air conditioning. One bright spot is her weekly lunch with her new friends. When they aren’t searching out details of her families’ visit and her disintegrating marriage, they are discussing the death of one of the Shrimp Festival board members. A natural death everyone believes until her novelist son comes to town and starts talking as if one of his thrillers has come to life.
He says his mother embezzled money from the festival and a man is involved. But that’s not the craziest thing he’s got on his mind.
He’s chosen the setting for his next book and its Jewel’s house!
So of course—he’s moving in.
Jewel and her lunch friends move in on the case and find the murderer Great fun!

[hermetic]

13. Thought I would mention

The author of Music City books is Steven Womack, in case anyone wants to find them at their library. Sadly, my library doesn't have any of his novels, which is kind of surprising as he's won many awards and is highly acclaimed. So, I've put him on my list to look for at used book stores.

[LearnedHand]

14. "The One," by John Marrs

They made this into a Netflix series, which I've not seen. The book is very imaginative and not just a little creepy. The premise is you can be DNA matched with the one person you are DNA destined to be with. It follows a number of people who have sought to be and have been matched with their destined mate.

[Zoomie1986]

15. Going totes old school

Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- AKA, Blade Runner

I think I read it back in the 80s, but it's been so long that I'm not sure if what I remember is the movie, or seeing the movie in the book. Making sure this time, LOL.