An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic, 2017,by Daniel Mendelsohn. He is a classics prof at a university in NY and he does write about the Odyssey but the book is mostly about his father, and fathers and sons, and it is a very good book. Very insightful and really interesting to read. It is an odyssey in many different ways.
Finished The Soul of and Octopus by Sy Montgomery and it was a really interesting book too. Smart, perceptive, misunderstood creatures lurking in the oceans.
And the novel, Pachinko, 2017 by Min Jin Lee is a long but very good book. Interesting to read about Koreans in Japan, about which I knew nothing. Such racism, and for so long. Good story, good characters.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Monday, October 23, 2017
good mystery, good novel, interesting non-fictio
Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr, 2017. Good book, continuing Bernies story and backtracking as well. Two stories, one in 1939 and one in 1956. They come together eventually but not til the very end. Bernie is his usual wise cracking thoughtful self.
Novel, The Unseen World by Liz Moore 2016. Different. But good characters and interesting writing about the development of AI and many unseen worlds merging - personal and techie.
Great non fiction book, the Soul of an Octopus, A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery, 2015. Really interesting. Who knew these creatures were smart and have blue blood? She writes about exploring their intelligence.
Novel, The Unseen World by Liz Moore 2016. Different. But good characters and interesting writing about the development of AI and many unseen worlds merging - personal and techie.
Great non fiction book, the Soul of an Octopus, A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery, 2015. Really interesting. Who knew these creatures were smart and have blue blood? She writes about exploring their intelligence.
Friday, October 13, 2017
many mysteries - need for escape
Love You Dead by Peter James 2017. Good mystery
A Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders, 2017. Another good mystery, the book publisher becomes the sleuth. Good characters
Peter Robinson Sleeping in the Ground, 2017. Another good DI Banks book.
IQ by Joe Ide 2017. Good book, wonderful characters. Main character Isaiah Quintabe’s nickname is IQ.
He's an interesting protaganist - very smart of course, but an off beat detective.
Glass houses by Louise Penny, 2017. Very good Inspector Gamauche mystery.
2 Coromant Strike books The Silkworm and again robert galbraith
Career of Evil. The TV production was good but so reduced, had to listen to these two again.
John le Carre A Legacy of Spies. 2017. Very good book, interesting take on our world, not just a mystery. Thoughtful. Made me watch the early BBC produtions again of Tinker Tailor
The Dry by jane Harper, austrailian writer. 2017. Good book. and the setting is very, very dry. Rural Australia well described. Good characters, good plot.
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz, continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium series. 2017
pretty good book, the characters are holding up well. The plot not as good as Stieg;s though. Still, worth reading.
Deadly Deceit by Mari Hannah, 2013. A horrible road accident that is covering a murder in Northumberland. DCI Kate Daniels is the main character. Good mystery.
Mel MdGrath, Give me the Child, 2017
A Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders, 2017. Another good mystery, the book publisher becomes the sleuth. Good characters
Peter Robinson Sleeping in the Ground, 2017. Another good DI Banks book.
IQ by Joe Ide 2017. Good book, wonderful characters. Main character Isaiah Quintabe’s nickname is IQ.
He's an interesting protaganist - very smart of course, but an off beat detective.
Glass houses by Louise Penny, 2017. Very good Inspector Gamauche mystery.
2 Coromant Strike books The Silkworm and again robert galbraith
Career of Evil. The TV production was good but so reduced, had to listen to these two again.
John le Carre A Legacy of Spies. 2017. Very good book, interesting take on our world, not just a mystery. Thoughtful. Made me watch the early BBC produtions again of Tinker Tailor
The Dry by jane Harper, austrailian writer. 2017. Good book. and the setting is very, very dry. Rural Australia well described. Good characters, good plot.
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz, continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium series. 2017
pretty good book, the characters are holding up well. The plot not as good as Stieg;s though. Still, worth reading.
Deadly Deceit by Mari Hannah, 2013. A horrible road accident that is covering a murder in Northumberland. DCI Kate Daniels is the main character. Good mystery.
Mel MdGrath, Give me the Child, 2017
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Bill Bryson and some mysteries
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson, 1999. Have never read anything by him before. It's a good book, about hiking and about all sorts of off-topic things, historical and environmental. Bit depressing, on how we have killed and ruined so much. But he writes well.
Deadly Deceit by MAri Hannah, 2013. An ok police procedural mystery
An audiobook, mystery, can remember nothing.
Deadly Deceit by MAri Hannah, 2013. An ok police procedural mystery
An audiobook, mystery, can remember nothing.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
a really irritating mystery and some good ones
Irritating one first, by Sophie Hannah, Little Face. 2006. Totally awful main character, whiny and miniuplative, no redeaming features. Skipped the last 3rd of the book and thought the ending was a waste of time.
Two of the three books that Angela Clarke has written. Very good mysteries. Characters are believable and likable. Just started the third book. Lots of social media built in - they are called the social media mysteries.
1. Follow me, 2015
2. Watch Me 2017
3. Trust Me 2017
Enjoyed them and hope she writes more.
Quicksand, 2017, by Swedish author - Malin Persson Giolito. good plot, you really don't know what she did or did not do until the end. Interesting study of a school shooting
Two of the three books that Angela Clarke has written. Very good mysteries. Characters are believable and likable. Just started the third book. Lots of social media built in - they are called the social media mysteries.
1. Follow me, 2015
2. Watch Me 2017
3. Trust Me 2017
Enjoyed them and hope she writes more.
Quicksand, 2017, by Swedish author - Malin Persson Giolito. good plot, you really don't know what she did or did not do until the end. Interesting study of a school shooting
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Two good mysteries and a really interesting non-fiction
Mark Billingham, reading his latest 2017 Tom Thorne mystery, the 14th in the seriesLove Like Blood. Very well written with timely and true topic of honour killing. His characters are good, plot good and he reads very well.
Sharon Bolton is another good mystery writer, Dead Woman Walking, 2017. Don't think I'll ever try a hot air balloon now. Complex plot, but interesting read.
Word by Word; the secret lives of dictionaires, by Kory Stamper 2017, is a great book. Who would think that reading about how dictionaries are created and maintained would be interesting but it really is. A lexicographer's life is not easy!
Sharon Bolton is another good mystery writer, Dead Woman Walking, 2017. Don't think I'll ever try a hot air balloon now. Complex plot, but interesting read.
Word by Word; the secret lives of dictionaires, by Kory Stamper 2017, is a great book. Who would think that reading about how dictionaries are created and maintained would be interesting but it really is. A lexicographer's life is not easy!
Monday, June 5, 2017
many mysteries
Three not so good mysteries
1. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan ...not a bad book but a bit too cute. Not going to seek out any more by him. A cute baby elephant plays a key role.
2. Forty Thieves by Thomas Perry, not a bad book but way to much violence, too many guns.
3. Cannot even remember the title....
But then some good mysteries
In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear, 2017. Maisie saves the day again, interesting and well written, book 13 in the series. Missed one so must backtrack to fill in the gap. WW II is now starting.
The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths. 2017. Always enjoy reading about Ruth and archiology and her detective adventrures in Norwhich. "even her secondary characters feel like memorable old friends" as a review on Amazon says.
A Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders. Main character, Samantha Clair, is in publishing, which is very interesting to read about. This is the third of a series, must find the first two. Good characters and a good mystery. Funny and well written.
He Said, She said by Erin Kelly, 2017. Way too long, good plot but it does go on and on...interesting to read about eclispses and people who chase them, but characters get a bit irritating.
1. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan ...not a bad book but a bit too cute. Not going to seek out any more by him. A cute baby elephant plays a key role.
2. Forty Thieves by Thomas Perry, not a bad book but way to much violence, too many guns.
3. Cannot even remember the title....
But then some good mysteries
In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear, 2017. Maisie saves the day again, interesting and well written, book 13 in the series. Missed one so must backtrack to fill in the gap. WW II is now starting.
The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths. 2017. Always enjoy reading about Ruth and archiology and her detective adventrures in Norwhich. "even her secondary characters feel like memorable old friends" as a review on Amazon says.
A Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders. Main character, Samantha Clair, is in publishing, which is very interesting to read about. This is the third of a series, must find the first two. Good characters and a good mystery. Funny and well written.
He Said, She said by Erin Kelly, 2017. Way too long, good plot but it does go on and on...interesting to read about eclispses and people who chase them, but characters get a bit irritating.
Monday, May 1, 2017
good novels, entertaining mysteries
A gentleman in Moscow, 2017 by Amor Towles is very good. A novel writen with grace, about a count under house arrest in a real hotel in Moscow beginning in 1922. He moves from aristocrat to head waiter in his years there, and the world comes to him, although not too closely. History comes and goes, WWII passes and the hotel still stands. A very elegant book. Lovely characters, interesting view of politics.
Exit West, 2017 by Moshin Hamid, a very different novel. A couple must leave their county under seige and they move several times and adapt or don't adapt. Good book, very different. The events are fictional, but the characters are very real.
Coffin road by Peter May, 2017. Good mystery, interesing plot whcih revolves around bee research. Set in the Outer Hebrides, it's hard to figure out who is really who until the end.
After the Fire by Jane Casey, 2017. First book I have read by her and I liked it, but did not want to go backwards, so read the one following. Maeve Kerrigan is the main character. Set in London.
The Reckoning by Jane Casey, 2016. The second book by her and with the same characters. I remember it as good but cannot remember the plot!
Tastes like Fear by Sarah Hilary, 2016. A good mystery.
Exit West, 2017 by Moshin Hamid, a very different novel. A couple must leave their county under seige and they move several times and adapt or don't adapt. Good book, very different. The events are fictional, but the characters are very real.
Coffin road by Peter May, 2017. Good mystery, interesing plot whcih revolves around bee research. Set in the Outer Hebrides, it's hard to figure out who is really who until the end.
After the Fire by Jane Casey, 2017. First book I have read by her and I liked it, but did not want to go backwards, so read the one following. Maeve Kerrigan is the main character. Set in London.
The Reckoning by Jane Casey, 2016. The second book by her and with the same characters. I remember it as good but cannot remember the plot!
Tastes like Fear by Sarah Hilary, 2016. A good mystery.
Friday, March 24, 2017
one bood novel, many mysteries
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 2015. Older woman remembers her past - and that of her sister's - of occupupied France during WW II. Good book, but not great.
Clare Mackintosh, I See You 2017. Interesting mystery set in London, based on tracking people by their predictable commuting habits. A good enough mystery, but not great.
James Oswald Written in Bones 2017 is a good book. Good writer, like his character names. Grumpy Bob, Mrs. McClutchen's cat...DI Tony McLean is an entertaining main character as well.
Clare Mackintosh, I See You 2017. Interesting mystery set in London, based on tracking people by their predictable commuting habits. A good enough mystery, but not great.
James Oswald Written in Bones 2017 is a good book. Good writer, like his character names. Grumpy Bob, Mrs. McClutchen's cat...DI Tony McLean is an entertaining main character as well.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
many mysteries
Most recent, and least liked, Good me, Bad me by Ali Land 2017. Hated the audio voice and did not really like a single character. The plot kept me going, but it's kind of a creepy book. Many people love it, but not me. A woman serial killer....not really intersted in any serial killers anymore...and this one was really awful.
Liked the other books - The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths, 2017. Very good, love the characters continued development and the plot was interesting too.
The Birdwatcher by William Shaw, 2017. Good mystery - set in interesting marshy place with lots of birds. set in modern day Dungeness, Kent.Good book.
Liked the other books - The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths, 2017. Very good, love the characters continued development and the plot was interesting too.
The Birdwatcher by William Shaw, 2017. Good mystery - set in interesting marshy place with lots of birds. set in modern day Dungeness, Kent.Good book.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
All Scooby hat for Max
Owl hat, own design
Askew Shawl, Stephen WestWednesday, January 4, 2017
books
Way behind in listing them here, will forget soon!
Zadie Smith's new book, Swing Time 2016, was very good. Thoughtful, interesting, good believable characters. Friendships from childhood, mothers, growing up, "helping" in Africa all explored.
The Sympathizer, 2016 by Viet Thanh Nguyen, such a good wrister. Sentences you want to remember. The main character is neither Vietnamese nor American...the book moves between the two as he confesses. Very good book.
Ian Rankin's latest Rebus book Rather Be the Devil 2016, is very good. Rebus is sick, quit smoking, but remains his usual self. Good to connect with all the characters as they age and change. Rebus even has a dog!
Daisy in chains 2016 by Sarah Bolton. another good mystery by a good mystery writer. Also very aborbing and perfect for driving to Victoria! had to finish by kindle because could not wait for return drive and audio version. Good plot, unexpected turns that she did well.
Novel, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, by Mohsid Hamid, 2013. Good writer, very good book. People you are routing for in this book that poses as a self help book, but is really a good movel.
Zadie Smith's new book, Swing Time 2016, was very good. Thoughtful, interesting, good believable characters. Friendships from childhood, mothers, growing up, "helping" in Africa all explored.
The Sympathizer, 2016 by Viet Thanh Nguyen, such a good wrister. Sentences you want to remember. The main character is neither Vietnamese nor American...the book moves between the two as he confesses. Very good book.
Ian Rankin's latest Rebus book Rather Be the Devil 2016, is very good. Rebus is sick, quit smoking, but remains his usual self. Good to connect with all the characters as they age and change. Rebus even has a dog!
Daisy in chains 2016 by Sarah Bolton. another good mystery by a good mystery writer. Also very aborbing and perfect for driving to Victoria! had to finish by kindle because could not wait for return drive and audio version. Good plot, unexpected turns that she did well.
Novel, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, by Mohsid Hamid, 2013. Good writer, very good book. People you are routing for in this book that poses as a self help book, but is really a good movel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
