Off-Topic Fall Reading

[Rivercat]

Originally Posted by Erica H.

I recently finished What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen (heartbreaking)

I've heard this one mentioned before in connection with the struggles of female athletes. Adding it to my list.

So I often listen to The Archers, a long-running soap on BBC Radio, and several of the cast members are doing a radio adaptation of Lark Rise to Candleford beginning this Sunday. My library had a copy so I started it last night and was immediately sucked in by the details of daily life of the rural poor in late 19th century Oxfordshire. I recall the TV series on PBS but never watched it.

[Erica H.]

Originally Posted by Rivercat

I've heard this one mentioned before in connection with the struggles of female athletes. Adding it to my list.

.

I also recommend Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World by Lauren Fleshman if you haven't read it or if it's not on your list yet.

I finished Loud and am now reading Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio.

ETA - I'm going to read this next - also about a female athlete: Brave Enough by Jessie Diggins

Erica

[lreidgreen]

I finished Walking With Gorillas - the Journey of an African Wildlife Vet by Gladys Kalema-Kikusoka
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wal...oka/1142541384
I started reading it before my gorilla trekking trip this summer but hadn't finished it. I got it from the library on a 14 day loan and was reading other things at the same time.
I decided to borrow it again after my trip so I could finish it. It was easy to read and basically well written but was a bit repetitive and began to sound like a narrative version of a resume. The beginning of the book is an account of her path to becoming a vet and her first job as a wildlife vet. The most interesting aspect of the book though is how public health initiatives and tourism can promote wildlife conservation. She also discussed her work treating and "moving" other wildlife like elephants, giraffes etc. The photos of those activities were really something.

I heard her speak on the Better Travel Podcast Episode 2.9 "Can Tourism help save Uganda's mountain gorillas?" A good listen if you are interested but don't have time to read the book.

[summer breeze]

I started The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith yesterday. It's a long one but I love this series. I'm just a couple of chapters in but so far so good.

[Rivercat]

Originally Posted by Erica H.

I also recommend Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World by Lauren Fleshman if you haven't read it or if it's not on your list yet.

Thanks! I like Lauren a lot but didn't know she had a book out.

[difit]

Here are a few new releases for October. Happy reading!!

3rd
Judgment Prey (Prey, book 33) - John Sandford
The Last Exchange - Charles Martin
A Cold Highland Wind (Lady Emily Mysteries, book 17) - Tasha Alexander
The Twelve Months of Christmas - Sheila Roberts
Wreck the Halls- Tessa Bailey
Into the Fire (Undaunted Courage, book 1)- Irene Hannon

10th
Twas the Bite Before Christmas (Andy Carpenter, book 28) - David Rosenfelt
Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! (Meg Langslow, book 34) - Donna Andrews
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop (Christmas Bookshop, book 2) - Jenny Colgan
Overdue or Die (Haunted Library Mystery, book 7) - Allison Brook
Sugar Plum Poisoned (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, book 15) - Jenn McKinlay
Paradise for Christmas (Sisters in Paradise, book 1) - Carolyn Brown
Dreaming of Water - AJ Banner
Promise Me - Jill Mansell
A Traitor in Whitehall (Evelyne Redfern, book 1) – Julia Kelly
The Head That Wears the Crown - Mariah Stewart
The Sunlit Man (Secret Projects, book 4) – Brandon Sanderson (kindle)
Touched - Walter Mosley
Christmas at the Shelter Inn - RaeAnne Thayne
A Winter to Remember – Roisin Meaney (kindle)

17th
Stalking Around the Christmas Tree (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery, book 4) - Jacqueline Frost
The Christmas Guest - Peter Swanson
A Chapter on Murder (Bookstore Mystery, book 3) - Sue Minix
American Girl - Wendy Walker
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas - Susan Wiggs
The Exchange (Firm, book 2) - John Grisham

24th
The Secret (Jack Reacher, book 28) - Andrew Child and Lee Child
Hercule Poirot's Silent Night (Hercule Poirot Mystery, book 5) - Sophie Hannah
The Bigfoot Queen (Littlest Bigfoot, book 3) - Jennifer Weiner (childrens fiction)
In the Dark – Claire Allan
Snow Place for Murder (Mountain Lodge Mystery, book 3) - Diane Kelly
The Last Close Call - Laura Griffin
The Fatal Folio (Cambridge Bookshop, book 3) - Elizabeth Penney
The Great Deceiver (Brighton Mysteries, book 7) – Elly Griffths ( audio)
Dating Can Be Deadly (Amish Matchmaker Mystery, book 5) - Amanda Flower
Tulle Death Do Us Part (Material Witness Mystery, book 4) – Diane Vallere (kindle)
Lost & Hound (Jane Arnold, book 15) - Rita Mae Brown
How the Hitman Stole Christmas (Holiday With a Hitman, book 1) – Katie Rues (kindle)
Christmas Presents - Lisa Unger
Murder Uncorked (Cece Barton Mystery) - Maddie Day
The Twelve Books of Christmas (Bibliophile Mystery, book 17) - Kate Carlisle
The Christmas Love Letters – Sue Moorcroft (audio)

31st
Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, book 30) - Janet Evanovich

[donnamp]

Hi,

I am just about finished w/ Stephen King's Holly.

I am enjoying the book b/c I like the character. Holly is a minor character in some of his other novels - Mr. Mercedes - which I haven't read yet and in a short story and something else that I did read (the name escapes me!) -anyway - I was familiar with the character which is why I wanted to read it. And I would recommend it if you like this character and SK's sick mind - because it is pretty sick.

What I didn't like - the story takes place largely in 2020/2021 and SK, in my opinion, went a bit over the top with the politics of this particular time period - particularly as it relates to COVID. Yes, writing a story that takes place in that time period - he would have to address the "elephant in the room" so to speak but it is a little bit much - and very obvious as to which side he is on. And, this is coming from someone who totally believed the virus was a dangerous thing at the time, supported some of the lockdown measures of the time, and got vaccinated and boosted. I would just think a writer of SK's caliber and experience would be able to handle that time period in a more subtle, fair and even-handed way. With the way of the world today, the last thing we need is more polarization and division.

So, I rate it favorably for the character and her story (and his sick imagination) and a meh - for the political posturing.

Did anyone read Fairy Tale? I just could NOT get into it. I think his writing in general has slipped quite a bit from his older stuff. Even though Holly has kept my attention I just feel the writing quality isn't what it once was.

Donna

[Erica H.]

Originally Posted by Rivercat

Thanks! I like Lauren a lot but didn't know she had a book out.

I really liked this book. Hope you do too!

Originally Posted by donnamp

Hi,


What I didn't like - the story takes place largely in 2020/2021 and SK, in my opinion, went a bit over the top with the politics of this particular time period - particularly as it relates to COVID. Yes, writing a story that takes place in that time period - he would have to address the "elephant in the room" so to speak but it is a little bit much - and very obvious as to which side he is on. And, this is coming from someone who totally believed the virus was a dangerous thing at the time, supported some of the lockdown measures of the time, and got vaccinated and boosted. I would just think a writer of SK's caliber and experience would be able to handle that time period in a more subtle, fair and even-handed way. With the way of the world today, the last thing we need is more polarization and division.

So, I rate it favorably for the character and her story (and his sick imagination) and a meh - for the political posturing.



Donna

I'm seeing a lot of politics in books lately and it bothers me. It seems like the thing to do for some reason. I was just talking to DH about this today because it kind of ruins the way I feel about a book once it gets too much into politics no matter which side the author is on.

Erica

[donnamp]

Agreed, Erica!

I finished the book and he addresses being "preachy" in the afterword. I still didn't like that part of the book - even though I generally agreed with his outlook - I didn't necessarily agree with how he handled those that opposed his viewpoint. But I guess that is the way of the world today.

I may go back and read the "Mercedes" trilogy - which I never read.

But for now I have on tap - The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman - I like this series about a quirky set of amateur detectives in a retirement village.

Donna

[Pat58]

Hello all! I haven't updated in quite a while, not having read many winners lately. Some brief recaps:

The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg - this was a Prime read. I chose it to take a break from First Reads thrillers and murder mysteries. It was weird - a dystopian society in which a human outcast woman finds refuge within a community of trolls. 3 stars.

Sing, Wild Bird, Sing by Jacqueline O'Mahony. I actually loved this one. It's a historical fiction, written with a spiritual twist, about an Irish famine refugee who lands in NYC and travels out west to the wilds of Oregon. She is the lone survivor of the Doolough "death march" in Ireland which I'd never read about before. 4.5 stars.

I'm Wearing Tunics Now: On Growing Older, Better, and a Hell of a Lot Louder by Wendy Aarons. Meh. Tries too hard to be "cute" with profanity. Too heavy on politics for my taste. 2.5 stars for being funny in some areas.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Took it back to the library before page 100. It was well written but I was taken aback at the 500 pages and it moved way too slow.

True Biz by Sara Novic. It is about a deaf girl and the deaf community at large, with a lot of information on ASL, BASL, social divides among the deaf community, medical practices, etc. There are insets and sidebars showing hand positions and items of interest. Interesting and eye opening, but not so sure I liked the story that ties it all together. 3 stars.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (Dark Tower Book 1). Finally finished it! I've tried 3 or 4 times over the last 15 years and could not finish this short book. Others have told me they've struggled with it, too. Usually I eat SK books up. Thankfully book 2, The Drawing of the Three, is speeding by.