What are you reading at the moment?

[CaribooRose]

HI Guys
I am re-reading the Lilian Jackson Braun "Cat Who ..." murder-mystery novels ... she passed away earlier this week and, not actually knowing this person, I felt the best way to honour her memory was to re-read the series.

Jim Qwilleran ("Call me Qwill") was a news reporter ... he learns he is the sole beneficiary of an umpteen-bazillion dollar estate ... he's the last blood relative of the Klingenschoen family. He moves to Pickax County, which every Braun fan knows, is located 400 miles north of everywhere. He establishes a residence in an old apple barn and a non-profit organization to distribute funds to worthy causes/people. He and his siamese cats (Koko and YumYum) set about to live a quiet life ... BUT ... crimes happen even in this serene area of USA and must be solved by Braun's wonderful trio

I will miss her stories.

Regards!!
Rose

[Connie Ciampanelli]

A fitting tribute, Rose.

I just came back from a week's vacation on a Newfound Lake in New Hampshire, where we've been going since 1972. Beautiful setting, a perfect vacation.

I read Game Six by Mark Frost, about the 1975 World Series between Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds. Not as good as Bottom of the 33rd, but very good, especially for us rabid fans of Red Sox nation.

Also, I read the Dead Irish, by John Lescroart. Good, but definitely second tier (after JLB and MC).

Thirdly, I read, if you can believe it, Stephenie Meyer's The Host. I'd read some very positive reviews. It's her first novel aimed at adults. I can see why teenagers are hooked on the Twilight series. She is not a great writer, but a very good story teller. Perfect for vacation reading.

I'm now in the midst of Elizabeth George's most recent This Body of Death. I think it will take some doing to top What Came Before He Shot Her, but it seems promising.

Connie Ciampanelli
Rhode Island

[siderussianlegsweep]

When The Thrill is gone by Walter Mosley.

Walter Mosley is best known for his Easy Rawlins series but he has also written about two lead characters, one of which is Leonid McGill.

Unlike the Rawlins series which is set throughout much of the 20th century, The McGill series is set in todays world.

McGill is a private eye who is trying to redeem himself from his past where he made some poor decisions and lived on the wrong side of the law. In this book (the third in the McGill series), he is appraoched by a woman who is scared that her wealthy husband is going to kill her like he killed his previous two wives.

McGill agrees to investigate the case and find out where the truth is ends and the lies begin. While doing this, he is also dealing with his wife having an affair, his son doing dodgy business dealings and his best friend dying of cancer.

Should you buy this book? To be honest, it is not Walter Mosley's best book (try the first few Easy Rawlins for those) but it is not an unreadable novel either. I found that I was reading it and liking parts of it (Mosley is a good writer) but not really dropping everything to try and finish it. The novel meandered along, got a little messy at the end and seemed to be Mosley going through the motions of writing.

[CaribooRose]

HI Guys
Well I have suitably respected Ms Braun and her lovely stories ... thought someone grittier should be next on my list ... so I've gathered Kathy Reichs' first four novels and am thoroughly enjoying them ... all over again LOL ... I remember waiting so impatiently for our local drugstore to receive its monthly shipment of paperbacks ... YAY! ... the newest Reichs is on the shelf, oh joyful joy.

I've finished Deja Dead, Death Du Jour and Deadly Decisions ... going to start Fatal Voyage tonight. Temperance Brennan is our hero ... she's an American forensic anthropologist who contracts to Montreal's judicial system. I'm either aging rapidly or someone has changed the storylines because the plotlines are all news to me

Getting older really sux!

Regards!!
Rose

[jbenham]

Siderussian, did you read the 1st to books in the series? It sounds pretty interesting.

[siderussianlegsweep]

Siderussian, did you read the 1st to books in the series? It sounds pretty interesting.

Yes, I liked them both. I have most of Walter Mosley's books, have been reading him for the better part of the last 20 years.

I am a huge Easy Rawlins fan so maybe reading a non-Rawlins books does tinge my thoughts a little.

One of Walter Mosley's biggest attributes is that he is a black man writing about black men. It adds an element of accuracy to his work (especially in the Easy series).

He is a highly recommended author.

[Connie Ciampanelli]

I am about halfway through Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, about two Americans "lost" at sea, surviving in a raft for forty-seven days during WWII when their plane, "Green Hornet," malfunctions. And of their capture, imprisonment, and torture at the hands of the Japanese military. The focus of the story is on Lou Zamperini, an Olympic runner in the 1936 games, who is still alive and active at 93. That one person could have undergone so much and not only survive but flourish is miraculous.

Painstakingly researched and documented, this book is a must read.

Connie Ciampanelli
North Providence RI

[siderussianlegsweep]

The Cut by George Pelecanos.

George Pelecanos is a special writer, not a special crime writer but a special writer, there is a difference. The distinction is that while his books have a crime element to them, he is not solely focussed on a mystery or solving a whodunit.

Pelecanos writes about life, in some ways he reminds me of a 1980's Elmore Leonard but perhaps a bit more realistic in his portrayal of his characters and their flaws. There is a certain mundaneness about how ordinary some of his characters are and that is what makes his books so good, there is no superheroics here.

In this book, we meet Spero Lucas, a young man coming to terms with his involvement in the Iraq War and the death of his father. Spero is an investigator for a defence attorney and Spero's role is to gather information. For the work he does (both for the attorney and privately) he gets a cut of 40% of the value of what he finds (hence the title of the novel).

Spero is hired by a convicted drug dealer to find what happened to a lost drug shipment and from there, the story unfolds in a manner that makes the book's pages glide very quickly.

I would not be looking at a George Pelecanos book as the height of action and excitement but he is more of a slow build-up in suspense, he will take his time in the story and give us a look into the life of people who live in Washington DC.

For me, I regard him as one of the two best writers today (the other being James Lee Burke) and feel that every person who enjoys a good book should give one of his books a chance.

[Connie Ciampanelli]

Dear siderussianlegsweep (best handle ever!),

I have read several of Pelacanos' books and have liked them, too. Unlike many of the most popular writers today, he is, as you say, good. I first came upon him several years ago. While vacationing with another couple in Florida, I was given a Pelacanos by the other wife who had finished it and wanted to pass it on. I was hooked.

Connie Ciampanelli
Rhode Island

[siderussianlegsweep]

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy.

This is a tough one to review.

Cormac McCarthy has created a novel that is extremely confronting but in a sensitive manner, if that is understandable.

The novel centres around Lester Ballard who is a poor misbegotten soul who is uneducated and misunderstood. These issues in combination with a myriad of others leads to Lester doing thimgs that are just unimaginable.

The novel is quite confronting. I found that it was a quick read as the page count was short but the subject matter was such that one would not be able to forget what they had read easily.

It is not a pleasant book to read, the details of the book are such that one would not read it without thinking that they were entering the depths of hell.

Cormac McCarthy has written a novel of depth and sensitivity. Worth reading.