What Fiction are you reading this week, June 23, 2019?

[hermetic]

Yes indeed.

Still reading Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown. It’s a mystery about the cold-blooded murder of a dear friend which also jumps back in time to Virginia's post-Revolutionary past, when their 18th-century predecessors struggled with the challenges of our fledgling country. Evidently there's a connection but I haven't discovered it yet.

Listening to The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin wherein the season of endings grows darker, and civilization fades into the long cold night. Kind of a preview of we can expect a few years from now…

What books are you discovering this week?

[dameatball]

1. "Dawn of Empire" by Sam Barone.

No relation to Ray or Robert

[hermetic]

2. Some things never change

FIVE MILLENNIA AGO, ON THE EASTERN BANK OF THE RIVER TIGRIS, THE COURSE OF HUMAN HISTORY CHANGED FOREVER ...
when those who had known peace turned their hands to war, to save from savage invaders not only their families but their way of life.

[dameatball]

3. So true.

[Timewas]

4. Mark Dawson

Going through the John Milton series up to #8..

[hermetic]

17. Dawson has written

so many books. All thrillers, from what I can tell. What's not to like?

[NJCher]

5. Nathaniel Hawthorne

I may read Hawthorne all summer, specializing in the short stories.

Years ago, when I living in New England, I went to the House of the Seven Gables.

This week I read "Young Goodman Brown." That story really fills a niche in the marketplace.

[Polly Hennessey]

8. Hester Prynne is one of my favorite fictional characters.

Also, love Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights. So much for the classics as I am reading a Michael Connolly book at the moment, Dark Sacred Night.

[hermetic]

15. Agree with you

on all counts.

[hermetic]

16. What fun!

I would love to go there. Found these great photos: https://7gables.org/photo-gallery/

Not familiar with that one, but..."Young Goodman Brown" is a short story published in 1835 by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story takes place in 17th century Puritan New England, a common setting for Hawthorne's works, and addresses the Calvinist/Puritan belief that all of humanity exists in a state of depravity, but that God has destined some to unconditional election through unmerited grace. Hmmmm...

[NJCher]

18. those photos

Are excellent! What good photography, and it took me back many years ago to the time of my visit.

The gardens would be something to see, as I can surmise from these pictures. Can't wait to email them to my fellow English teacher who got me back into reading Hawthorne.

Did you see the tuteurs? What craftsmanship. What I wouldn't give to have garden structures like that.

I'm thinking another visit after a summer of reading Hawthorne is going to be in the offing.

Re "Young Goodman Brown," my fellow teacher and I concur on what we think it means, but I'm not finding too many others who do. I haven't searched that extensively, though. It is such a disturbing story that I need to learn more about it.

As my colleague remarked when she told me it was her favorite story, "Why does everything have to be nice? The world's not nice."

[dhol82]

6. French Exit

Just started reading it and it seems engaging.

[hermetic]

14. Is that by Patrick deWitt?

Sounds really good: a brilliant and darkly comic novel about a wealthy widow and her adult son who flee New York for Paris in the wake of scandal and financial disintegration. I put it on my list.

[dhol82]

21. That's the one.

[hermetic]

22. Oh, he wrote

The Sisters Brothers! I read that some years ago and remember it well. Cause he's such a great writer and that was quite an unusual tale. AND, I just checked out the audio of French Exit from my library. Really looking forward to starting that later today. I am so pleased you told us about it.

[dhol82]

23. I think I need to get The Sisters Brothers now.

[Runningdawg]

7. Second World by Jeremy Robinson

Scary!! My husband said - you HAVE to read this book!!
An apparent terrorist strike - chemical or biological in nature wipes out Miami, Tokyo and Tel Aviv. There are only 2 survivors in Miami - a Navy Seal who was in an underwater lab off the coast of the Keys when the attack took place and a child in an oxygen chamber in a burn unit.
As the world mobilizes to fight back it soon becomes clear a world-wide coup has taken place and the 4th Reich has risen. They have been hiding in plain sight for decades - the military and police departments, engineers at power plants and water treatment facilities, healthcare, clergy, communications....your next door neighbor.
I will leave out the how and why because if you like thrillers, this is the book for you!
I normally read a book in 5-7 days. I just finished this one in 2.

[hermetic]

11. I AM scared...

just from your description. Hit's a little close to home, I guess.

[Runningdawg]

19. Hits REALLY close to home. In parts of the book it was like I was reading the daily news.

[murielm99]

9. I am reading "In a House of Lies,"

by Ian Rankin. It is a Rebus book.

I have two Sharyn McCrumb books here to read. And I have "Barkskins," by Annie Proulx.

I am reluctant to start reading Barkskins. I get depressed enough these days. I may read the McCrumb books first.

If any of you have not read McCrumb, please look into her work. She is wonderful.

[hermetic]

12. McCrumb has written a lot of books

The Unquiet Grave sounds good. Based on the true story of one of the strangest murder trials in American history -- the case of the Greenbrier Ghost. Will have to look into these.

Rebus books are always a pleasure, IMO. And I have to agree the Proulx book sounds quite depressing. I really loved her The Shipping News, though.

[pscot]

10. The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott

I'm a third of the way through and finding it rather slow going. Scott is an impressive writer, I'm just having a hard time engaging with the story. I'm also reading The Divine Comedy. I have the Sayers translation and it's wonderful. The poetry is first rate and her footnotes are a great help for those of us who are not fluent in medieval Florentine politics.

[hermetic]

13. I think I read that

a LONG time ago. Made me not like the British so much.

Funny him being P Scott, says D Scott to pscot.

[pscot]

20. Derp

[Paladin]

24. Stick with it, it's worthwhile.

There's a first-rate TV series of the book; I saw it on PBS, many years ago.

[Paladin]

25. "This Storm" by James Ellroy.

Typical Ellroy badass stuff. Set in wartime 1942 L.A. where everything is sliding downward: crooked cops, interned Japanese citizens, Nazis and Commies, stolen gold shipments, enemy submarines run aground in Baja, lots of drinking, doping and screwing---just what you'd expect from the author of "L.A. Confidential." Not for the faint of heart, but if you're an Ellroy fan, give it a try. The guy is a dark master.

[hermetic]

33. This one is brand new

Impressive.

He has quite an interesting history. Lots of dark stuff in real life.

I read this about him, which I think is pretty cool: ..his signature writing style is not the result of a conscious experimentation but of chance and came about when he was asked by his editor to shorten his novel L.A. Confidential by more than one hundred pages. Rather than removing any subplots, Ellroy abbreviated the novel by cutting every unnecessary word from every sentence, creating a unique style of prose.

[Paladin]

34. Sounds accurate.

Whatever the technique, it damn sure works.

[mainstreetonce]

26. Behold the Dreamers. Mbue

I am only halfway.
Excellent story and very timely.

[hermetic]

32. Sounds good

Although also a bit sad...

[mia]

27. All the Light We Cannot See

My daughter gave me this book and I just started reading it today.

[Cousin Dupree]

28. A wonderful book. One of my favorites ever

[mainstreetonce]

30. That is a great book.

Enjoy

[hermetic]

31. Excellent book

Read it some years ago but still think of it often, in light of things that are happening around us now.

[Cousin Dupree]

29. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. His books are so funny!

[hermetic]

36. Love Sedaris!

I had meant to read this but somehow never got around to it. But now I'm on the list to hear the audio version which I think should be most enjoyable. Thanks for the reminder!

[matt819]

35. I have a few on the go, as usual

I'm reading A Question of Identity, the 7th in the Simon Serailler series by Susan Hill. I'm reading or listening to these one after the other. I'm hooked. She's one hell of a writer, and the stories go well beyond the whodunit of British mystery writing. The characters have complicated lives and confront life and death issues. Time passes in more or less realistic ways.

Just started listening to Deadline, the second in the Zombie Apocalypse series by Mira Grant. Like SF, an author can go anywhere she wants with a series (however short) about the zombie apocalypse. Just keep the zombies coming, and there's action. I'm kind of glad there are only three - though she has done some long stories/novellas - unlike the zombie series by Mark Tufo, which currently stands at 12, and I'm only up to the 4th.

I also just started listening to Lamb, by Christopher Moore. This is the fifth gospel, by Biff, Jesus's best friend. Christopher Moore is certifiably crazy and most definitely hysterical. I've read the Pine Cove and the Grim Reaper series. You simply can't go wrong with a Christopher Moore novel.

Also reading The Feral Detective by Jonathan Lethem. I don't know where it's going, but the writing is clever and the characters more than a little off the wall. It's not the kind of book you can read only a few pages at a time. You have to spend some time with it to keep track of what's going on.

[hermetic]

37. Sure enough...

see my reply to your post below. More for the list.

Lamb is so funny. You'll see....