What Fiction are you reading this week, June 30, 2024?

[hermetic]

Reading The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. An intriguing tale set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent. I'm quite enjoying it. In 2017 it was named one of the top fifty notable works of fiction of the year by The Washington Post and one of 100 Notable Books of the year by The New York Times.

Listening to The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz. This is an action adventure thriller; the 8th in a series which I hadn't read any of. But it was easy enough to figure out what was going on. Quite entertaining.

Wishing you and your pets a safe and happy 4th.

What books will you celebrate this week?

[mentalsolstice]

1. This week I read....

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. He never disappoints! It takes place during the desegregation of Boston’s schools, so racism rears its ugly horns.

Tell No One by Harlan Coben. It’s the second book of his I’ve read. All I can say is meh!🫤

Next up is Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close. It’s supposed to be a funny tale about three generations of a Chicago restaurant family. I need a good laugh!

Thank you for the thread. I hope everyone has a happy Fourth. Keep the fur babies safe!

[hermetic]

4. Will have to read the Lehane book

Just out last year. ".. a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism." I thought it was older but I see there are several books that share the title.

The Ketchup tale sounds like a great read, too. I think we could all use a good laugh right now.

[txwhitedove]

2. Hi. Read historical fiction based on trauma of Georgia Tann's Tennessee Childrens Home Society

orphanage, Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours. The children weren't always orphans, but stolen babies and children. I was completely invested in wonderful characters of this loving family.

Finished Extinction by Douglas Preston. This was NOT Jurassic Park. Good book.

Just finished #10 of the Spencer Quinn Chet series Of Mutts and Men. "When Chet the dog and PI Bernie Little of the desert-based Little Detective Agency, arrive to a meeting with hydrologist Wendell Nero, they are in for a shocking sight—Wendell has come to a violent and mysterious end. What did the hydrologist want to see them about? Is his death a random robbery, or something more? Chet and Bernie, working for nothing more than an eight-pack of Slim Jims, are on the case." Ended up being a very exciting episode, and #8 and #9 books all great.

Also highly recommend Breakfast With Buddha by Roland Merullo. "When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger--and amuse himself--he decides to show the monk some "American fun" along the way." Wry, funny, warm, and thought provoking .

[hermetic]

5. Sounds like some really good reads

Thanks!

[LearnedHand]

3. How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

This book is very funny, sort of a MORE fantasy version of Groundhog Day. I laugh out loud at Davi the Dark Lord In-Waiting's internal dialogue.

Groundhog Day meets Deadpool in Django Wexler’s raunchy, hilarious, blood-splattered fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.

[hermetic]

6. That sounds like fun

[Lulu KC]

7. The Stellar Debut of Galactica McFee

#17 in the 44 Scotland Street series of Alexander McCall Smith. I've missed these people!

[hermetic]

9. Neat

He's written a bunch of books, a lot of them at my library and a lot of ebooks. They all sound delightful.

[rsdsharp]

8. I'm nearly finished with

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson.

[hermetic]

11. The biggest thriller of the year

Michael Crichton had a passion project he'd been pursuing for years, ahead of his untimely passing in 2008. Knowing how special it was, his wife, Sherri Crichton, held back his notes and the partial manuscript until she found the right author to complete it: James Patterson, the world's most popular storyteller.

The master of the techno-blockbuster joins forces with the master of the modern thriller to create the most anticipated mega bestseller in years.

[Bayard]

15. I'll be looking for this one

Thanks!

[Jeebo]

10. "The Legacy of Heorot" by Niven and Pournelle.

Reading it again after reading it for the first time in 1988. At that time there was a huge science-fiction convention here in Columbia, Missouri, and Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle were the honored guests. I got all of the copies of their books that I had then signed, including "The Legacy of Heorot," which had come out recently. It was a great read then, and it's a great read now, especially if you like science-fiction novels about colonists on planets in other star systems. This one is Tau Ceti Four.

The last novel I read is "Way Station" by Clifford D. Simak. I have now read that novel about a half-dozen times in about 60 years, and it is one of my favorite novels ever. It won a Hugo, in fact.

Both "The Legacy of Heorot" and "Way Station" would make GREAT movies, if any Hollywood people are reading this ...

-- Ron

[hermetic]

12. Sounds like some great

sci-fi!

[japple]

13. Not sure what I will be reading next. I am about 1/2 into Tom Lake and am bored

out of my mind. I don't get all the rave reviews over this book. I love other books Ann Patchett has written, esp. Bel Canto, but this one has me bored to tears. I don't think I will finish it.

[hermetic]

14. Yeah, I tried that one for a while

Can't remember anything about it now. So it goes.... Hope you find something better. Thanks for checking in.

[Bayard]

16. I finished, "Breathless," by Dean Koontz

I ate it up like chocolate. The only thing I didn't get was why he threw in some extraneous characters.

[yellowdogintexas]

17. I finished Dark Bayou and it was a corker!!

Some really clever plot twists and surprise ending. Lots of atmosphere and some unique characters. The last 5 or 6 chapters kept me up well into the night!

After that I needed something light so I went to the next(# 6) in the Kat Parker series, "Sins of the Father" by K. L Phelps

Kat Parker was looking forward to a nice normal night out with her boyfriend—though nothing is truly normal when you can see and talk with the dead. However, when Damian arrives with news that his estranged father has been killed, date night quickly turns into a trip to Vegas, the supernatural capital of the world. Whoever said romance was dead?

As a former detective for the Vegas Police Department, Damian is well aware of his father’s shady business dealings, but he’s still surprised when he’s confronted by an unstable squid-faced creature demanding he deliver on his father’s final deal.

With time running short and the creature’s patience running even shorter, Kat must help to figure out who killed Damian’s father and how to deliver on his final debt. Otherwise, Kat may have more to worry about than playing middleman to a postmortem family reconciliation or figuring out if her pet turtle has a gambling problem.

This is a fun series! Snappy and funny dialogue, hilarious characters and interesting continuing story threads - and a pet turtle that can beat the house at a casino. What's not to like?