What Fiction are you reading this week, April 7, 2019?

[hermetic]

“A book can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” L’Engle

I got Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin, the first Inspector Rebus novel. A definite must-read for Rebus fans. Here is where it all began, 32 years ago. A few things evidently got changed over the years, but it’s still our beloved Rebus.

Listening to Wicked Appetite, Book 1 of the Lizzy & Diesel Series by Janet Evanovich, a delightfully entertaining tale with numerous critters and witchery and the seven deadly sins.

What books are expanding your universe this week?

[dameatball]

1. "The Winter King" by Berrnard Cornwell

[hermetic]

3. Ah, that King

The first volume of The Warlord Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell unveils the story he was born to write: a brilliant retelling of the mythic saga of King Arthur. As Arthur fights to keep a flicker of civilization alive in a barbaric world, Cornwell makes a familiar tale into a legend all over again.

I have always loved stories about Arthur. I should probably read this one.

[dameatball]

6. Cornwell: "Of all the books I have written,these are my favourites."

[murielm99]

12. I've read the Saxon stories by him,

set during Alfred's reign. I will have to find the Warlord Chronicles. The sound good.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. Our Mutual Friend (Charles Dickens) - listening to it during daily walks

[hermetic]

5. Good way

to get through that extremely long story. Enjoy!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

18. Thanks! I read it years ago but have forgotten a lot.

[TexasProgresive]

4. "The Shadow Rising" book 4 of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

And listening to The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin she is a great story teller and the reading by Robin Miles who is superb.

[hermetic]

7. Just got on the waiting list

for Jemisin's The Stone Sky audiobook. Shouldn't be too long a wait.

[TexasProgresive]

34. I hope that works okay. The Stone Sky is the final of the trilogy.

[hermetic]

35. Hey thanks!

I thought I'd requested the first one. So, I fixed it. Now I await The Fifth Season .

[happybird]

8. Signed up for Open Library the other day

and can't believe I didn't know about it! Very excited to find new books and series from the comfort of my bed, lol! My Mom recommended Louise Penny, so I will check her out when I'm done with the Dark Tower.

I decided to take a DT break (sort of) before hitting Song of Susannah and checked out Black House by King and Peter Straub. I think I have read it, years ago, but don't remember the story. I loved the Talisman, so am looking forward to it.

[hermetic]

10. Truly

Open Library is such a great benefit for so many. Glad you discovered yours.

I love Louise Penny! She is one of my most favorite authors.

[happybird]

19. I am over the moon about it

I have a limited income and don't get out of the house much, so it is a perfect resource for me. Plus, I have boxes and boxes of books that we have lugged from house to house and I don't want to add any more bulk. I'm rough on paperbacks, so I don't think most are in shape for donating.

[MuseRider]

9. Just starting to listen to

Blackwater. Amazon was offering the entire thing on one download and I got it for the price of one credit. I had never read it but heard about it.

[hermetic]

13. Michael McDowell"s?

"One of the greatest horror novels ever published, Michael McDowell's critically acclaimed, long out-of-print novel is now available in a six-volume illustrated box set..."

Never read it, either, but it sounds awesome.

[MuseRider]

20. Yes.

I am not a true fan of horror but it depends on who writes it. I love anything if the story building and character story lines are great. It popped up on my Amazon recommendation list and I read about it and about the author who died very young in the mid 90's I think. It is supposed to be great. I have had only a tiny amount of time to start it until today. I will let you all know how it goes. Being on audio I will miss the illustrations . At least this way I get the book and the time to hear it!

[murielm99]

11. I've read that Rankin book.

It is a good one.

[hermetic]

15. Cool

[murielm99]

14. I am reading Book 7 of the Cork O'Connor series,

Thunder Bay, by William Kent Krueger.

I received gift certificates for the local bookstore. I just bought a whole pile of Jane Austen books, and a couple of non-fiction books.

[hermetic]

16. Nice!

books are pretty much my favorite gift these days.

[PeeJ52]

17. tRump's Tweets...

[murielm99]

22. Oh, you are bad!

[unc70]

21. On a mystery binge

Been reading the Brunetti mysteries by Donna Leon because I'm going again to Venice this year. Intermixed with several other detective series: Tibbett by Patricia Moyes, Dalgliesh by PD James, Grant by Josephine Tey. In each case, I have now been reading each series in order from the start.

For various reasons, I've really been giving my library card a workout. But I don't like to take library books on long foreign trips. Just found a solution; the Friends of the Library had a used book sale. I was able buy a bunch of the coming books I will need in paperback for $0.50 or $1.00 each, and light enough to drag around.

I know I could read them on some electronic device, but it just isn't the same.

[hermetic]

23. Venice!

How wonderful. Sounds like you got some really great bargains, too.

[japple]

24. Over the Plain Houses by Julia Franks. I just added it to my Best of

2019 list. It is one of the most satisfying books I have ever read, probably because the setting (Western North Carolina) is so near and dear to my heart.

Here's a review (the best one I've read of this book): http://southernlitreview.com/?s=Julia+Franks

Reminds me a bit of the writing of Charles Frazier, esp. as regards place, nature, human connections.

I copied this review from amazon as it best encapsulates my own opinion of this book"

It becomes clear that Irenie needs to save herself and her son from an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. A representative from the USDA offers a solution, first for her son, and soon for Irenie as well. Brodis, her husband, farmer and fundamentalist preacher, looks askance at any kind of assistance from the government outsiders and comes to see the intervention as part of a diabolical plot… quite literally.

Set in the Appalachians of western North Carolina in the late 1930s, the author creates a wonderful sense of place and of history. This was a time when the virgin forests were still being violently scraped off the mountainsides, and farmers were encouraged to turn their fields over to a crop they could not eat-- tobacco. A way of life families had followed for generations was suddenly upended. The reader is immersed in the world of the novel-- the description of the tortured hills and mountain peaks is exquisite, revealing an insider's knowledge of the local nature and a deep appreciation for the domestic tradition and farm life of that time.

The conclusion of the novel takes on a scale of rather Biblical proportions with at least a couple horses of the apocalypse making a cameo. A strong story with strong characters, this novel by a debut novelist will not disappoint.

Thank you for the weekly thread, hermetic. Kitten season is upon us and way too busy. Too many pregnant mamas and too many orphans. Happy reading to everyone.

[hermetic]

29. Nice review

Sure made me want to read it.


Ah, kitten time. Three of my 'housemates' will celebrate their first birthday next week. And Dash will be 2. We got a good handle on the feral situation here but in the past few days two newbies have visited the back yard kitty diner. Will be looking at trapping and neutering them. Hope all goes well for you.

[The King of Prussia]

25. "Singing in the shrouds" by Ngaio Marsh

Classic whodunnit from the Golden Age. So far it's thrilling, I just hope it's not let down by the denouement.

Not sure what to read next - "The Durrells" was back on TV tonight, so I might make a start on the Corfu Trilogy.

[hermetic]

30. Wow. That's an oldie

First, there was high-pitched singing ... and then a woman's body was found, covered with flowers. Three victims had already fallen before Scotland Yard's Roderick Alleyn set out on a luxury cruiser for South Africa, convinced that the musical murderer was aboard.

So, did the ending hold up?

[The King of Prussia]

36. Yes it did

Good story in the end.

[yellowdogintexas]

26. "True-ish Crime" second in a series

First book is "Disorganized Crime" A Kat Makris Detective Novel by Alex A King currently available free on Amazon and book 2 is 99 cents. There are 9 books altogether.

Very funny series about an American girl whose Greek father is snatched from their front porch by some guys in black suits (according to the retired judge next door, who sits on his front steps in his bathrobe just so he can flash Katarina when she comes home)

She gets abducted herself, by a couple of really strange characters and wakes from the drugs they gave her to find herself in Greece, where she meets her grandmother and a wild assortment of crazy relatives and hangers- on

These are as much fun as Stephanie Plum!

[hermetic]

31. These sound fun

Too bad my library never heard of them. Will have to explore some used-book stores.

[Cousin Dupree]

27. The Witch Elm by Tana French. Just finished and really liked it.

[hermetic]

32. Yes,

That one is quite popular here.

[backtoblue]

28. "Rise" by Anna Carey

It's book three of her "Eve" trilogy. Pretty good story line that follows like the Handmade's Tale.

[hermetic]

33. Oh, interesting...

"Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion."

Sounds like a great book for all young adults to read and perhaps learn from.