What are you reading the week of August 31, 2014?

[Enthusiast]

I finished Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason. Mrs. Enthusiast is reading it now.

I have just started The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg.

What are you reading this week?

[TexasProgresive]

1. Still reading "Connecticut Yankee"

but I need to put in a month of hard study, all non-fiction. So, I will be visiting "What are you reading the week of ______? but not contributing.

[Enthusiast]

2. I hope you are richly rewarded for all your hard study, TexasProgresive.

[pscot]

3. Simenon, The Yellow Dog

I'm also deep into the history of the Norman kings of England right now, so I'm looking for novels about Richard I and the Plantagenets.

[imthevicar]

4. Finished World War Z By Brooks, Great Book BTW,

Now Back to Raising Steam By Terry Pratchett.

[shenmue]

5. 'Eva's Eye,' Karin Fossum

[Enthusiast]

9. I looked that up.

I'm not sure I understand why the book number one was written last. They do seem to like the Karin Fossum books.

[scarletwoman]

11. 2012 was the year that the English translation was published,

not when it was originally published in Norwegian.

I've noticed this phenomena a lot with translated authors. Often the first English translation of a particular series is like the 3rd or 4th book of the series. Then, if it does well, you'll get translations of the author's earlier books coming out later.

I can't remember which author it was, but there was one series that was published in translation so completely out of order, it was crazy. The first English version to be published was like his 5th or 6th book. Then the next translated edition was like #4. Then the next translated edition was #7. Then they came out with numbers 2 & 3. Then #8, then finally #1. The only way I could follow the series in order was to order the whole series at once, then check the flyleaf of each book for the original non-English language publication date.

What happened with the Scandinavian authors in particular was that their books were hugely popular in their home countries, but totally unknown to English-speaking readers. The along came Stieg Larsson and his Millenium Trilogy - and suddenly Scandinavian Noir was HOT HOT HOT. So publishers started dipping their toes into the works by other popular Scandinavian authors, often getting their most current book and/or their best sellers in their home country translated first. Then, if that author proved to be a hit in the English speaking world, they'd get busy with cranking out translations of their earlier stuff.

Anyhow, not sure why it took so long to get an English translation of the first book of Fossum's Inspector Sejer series, but it's not exactly an unusual occurance for a series in translation.

[Enthusiast]

17. Thank you. That makes perfect sense.

[scarletwoman]

6. Well c'mon! What did you think of Jar City?

Do you think you'll read the rest of the series?

Indriðason is easily one of my very favorite "Scandinavian Noir" authors, and (as I've probably mentioned several times before) I've read his entire oeuvre up to the final book of his Erlander series, Strange Shores - which I'm STILL waiting for my library to get in!

I'll also be interested in what you think of Läckberg - she's up there in my Scandinavian Noir top 10 as well. I've read her entire Patrik Hedstrom series up to Buried Angels - which I'm also waiting for my library to get in.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Jar City, and I hope you'll enjoy The Ice Princess as well.

[Enthusiast]

8. I liked Jar City well enough. I thought it was a captivating story with some unusual plot twists.

The spousal unit appears to be more captivated by Jar City than I was. She is on vacation this week so she will devour Jar City. I believe I will find the more colorful Ice Princess more to my liking.

That said, I do plan to revisit the Erlander series even if Erlander strikes me as a grumpy old fart. They say it takes one to know one. All the old fart characters are grumpy in these books. I'm not particularly grumpy............I don't think. Erlander is a loving father, that is something.

I appreciate your suggestions, scarletwoman.

[scarletwoman]

12. Maybe it's a woman thing.

I love the character Erlander! I wouldn't be able to explain exactly why, but there's just something about him that I found irresistable from the start. I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with him, but I love being inside his head.

I'm glad my suggestions have done well by you, so far.

[Enthusiast]

16. Mrs Enthusiast also loved the Erlander character.

We often find we have differing opinions on the books we read. Although we seldom disagree radically. Most often she is more enthusiastic about a book than I was. Sometimes it's the opposite. She was not an avid reader until the recent past few years.

I enjoy most of the books by John Irving. But I thought, "She won't really go for Hotel New Hampshire." I was afraid it was overly long for her. She loved it. We have read everything by John Irving now. Well, except for that most recent one.

I'll never again consider a book's length an impediment for her. I feared she would grow exhausted reading Gregory David Robert's Shantaram. It turned out to be her favorite book—so far.

Sometimes I feel I am a poor judge of books. My assessment of a particular book is often determined by a fluctuating mental state. My mental state can be compromised by the accidental exposure to wheat gluten. This can create a general mental fog.

Sorry to go on so.

[scarletwoman]

7. I just finished _Where the Shadows Lie_ by Michael Ridpath,

the first book of his "Fire and Ice" series which take place in Iceland. Ridpath is a British author, and his protagonist is an American police detective from Boston who was born in Iceland, moved to the U.S. when he was 12, and has been sent to Iceland as a sort of Witness Protection arrangement prior to a high profile police corruption/drug gang trial (it's complicated).

Anyway, the story is entertaining, if not exactly plausible, and the descriptions of the Icelandic countryside are nicely done. I've just started book 2 in the series, Far North, which is centered around the banking shenanigans of 2008/2009 and the resulting political fallout in Iceland - along with some fictional murders arising therefrom.

There are 4 books in this series so far, and I expect to read them all - if for no other reason than the Iceland locale. The writing is crisp and straightforward, and the plot of book 1 was entertaining enough to keep me turning the pages.

At any rate, they'll pass the time until the books I really want finally make it to my library.

[SheilaT]

10. Just started

The Girl in 6E by A.R. Torre and it's quite good and will be a fast read. I'll probably finish it by tomorrow, and then it's on to The Faithful Place by Tana French. It's her third novel and I liked the first two a lot.

[scarletwoman]

13. I'll be looking forward to hearing what you think of _Faithful Place_.

It's my favorite of Tana French's books so far. I've liked all her books - have read her first four, and am on the waiting list at the library for #5. But there was something about Faithful Place that really affected me deeply.

[SheilaT]

14. I'll try to remember to post here after I'm done with that one.

I don't always post, and I read three or four books a week generally.

[scarletwoman]

15. No biggie.

I read between 3-4 books a week myself, so I can totally relate.

[Old Crow]

18. *Boy, Snow, Bird* by Helen Oyeyemi

I'd never read anything by her before and I wanted to read some current literary fiction. Boy, Snow, Bird was published this year, so it fit the bill. I'm about 45% of the way through it. My thoughts so far? It's a mixed bag--the novel has some serious strengths, but also some serious weaknesses as well.

[Enthusiast]

19. That sounds interesting.

If I read it correctly, the girl's name is Boy. Strikes me funny.

[Old Crow]

21. Yes, you read that correctly: Boy is a girl. :)

One of the things I like most about Oyeyemi's writing is her willingness to break rules and go wherever her imagination takes her. Naming a girl "Boy" is an example of that.

[AverageJoe90]

20. Hi there! Noticed you were new, so I thought I'd say hello.

And a warm welcome to DU.

[Old Crow]

22. Thank you!

I joined primarily to participate in the Fiction and Writing groups and I've been welcomed by members of both, which is really nice. I think it's going to be wonderful discussing these two interests of mine on DU with fellow liberals.

[Enthusiast]

24. If you're a liberal, I love you.

Listen to this!

[Old Crow]

26. Well, I am most definitely a liberal...

... but I'm not quite sure what to make of those Neil Young lyrics, however. ~scratches head~

[Enthusiast]

27. The lyrics probably don't have any great significance.

I just like the song and hundreds of other NY songs.

[SheilaT]

23. I've finished The Girl in 6E

and it was pretty good, but there's a huge enormous plot flaw in it, that when that information pops up, it took me totally out of the story. But it was readable, and other than that plot flaw, decent. But I'm not sure I'll bother with anything else by her, especially as it seems her first novels were self-published, and I've long been wary of such.

But now I'm on to Faithful Place by Tana French and so far, fifty pages in, it's her typical excellent book. I like the way she takes time to develop characters and let you learn what you need to know about them.

[Enthusiast]

25. I'm reading The Likeness next.

Then I can read Faithful Place.