Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[Bookstooge]

Just reviewed And Be A Villain, the next Nero Wolfe mystery by Rex Stout.

I have to say, from what I've read of the Wolfe series so far (this is 13 of 40'ish), this is one series I'll be perennially re-reading. Not so fast as a fellow blogger of mine who has read the whole series 3 times in the last 2 years, but I can see starting over once I reach the end in a couple of years

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

Just reviewed And Be A Villain, the next Nero Wolfe mystery by Rex Stout.

I have to say, from what I've read of the Wolfe series so far (this is 13 of 40'ish), this is one series I'll be perennially re-reading. Not so fast as a fellow blogger of mine who has read the whole series 3 times in the last 2 years, but I can see starting over once I reach the end in a couple of years

It's a great series, and one I've read a couple of times over the years. But some of them haven't aged as well as one might hope. None the less, most I can still quite enjoy.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

1/4 through China Miéville's The City and the City. I absolutely loved Embassytown, and am enjoying this one, but it's much harder work. Happily his delight in the mechanics and meaning of language is still very much integral to the story, the passages where he lets him loose to go into a deep dive into linguistics are beautiful and very engaging. It will take quite a while to finish this one though, that's for sure.

4.5/5 for this one at The Storygraph. Most of the hundreds of books I've read this year have been easy reads, all about the story. This one was very much about the words.

Now reading Margot Bennett's The Man Who Didn't Fly - a mystery setup I've not before, very interesting.

[Bookstooge]

American Assassin by Vince Flynn. A good Mitch Rapp prequel. Flynn has definitely improved his writing skill by this point and it is quite noticeable.

[issybird]

I am greatly enjoying Diary of an MP's Wife: Inside and Outside Power by Sasha Swire. It was published in 2020 and while generally nothing dates faster than a political memoir,* this one is remarkably pertinent to current events. Starting in 2010 when the Tories came into power, it covers the run-up to Brexit and the aftermath and political maneuvering by those whose star has risen and in some cases fallen again. In fact, it can be eerily prescient as well as snarky; I laughed at this gem from 2015:

H[ugo Swire] is chatting to Amber [Rudd, one-time Home Secretary] on the front bench. She tells him she has finally broken up with Kwasi (Kwarteng) after a long on-off relationship. ‘It was increasingly difficult, being around a rising star.’

‘Gosh, is that really how you felt?’

The joke is lost on her: ‘No, Hugo, me: I’m the rising star, not him!’

‘Oh, right. You - you are the star. Of course you are, Amber.’

And seven years later, Kwarteng is Chancellor and Rudd is history. Great stuff.

*One of my besetting sins is not getting around to books I buy in a timely fashion.

[Shuchi]

I'm reading Diaspora by Greg Egan. It's been sitting on my shelf for donkey's years, and the prologue alone has absolutely captured me. I do myself a disservice as a sci-fi fan to have gone so long without reading it!

[acprinter]

Wesley the Owl by Stacey O’Brien. A non-fiction read by a biologist and animal rehabilitator. This book had special meaning for me because my wife is a licensed song bird rehabilitator. My job is to keep up her flight cage.

Next was I, The Constable by Paula M. Block. A fun Star Trek book.

Presently reading Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, I am not impressed so far.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by acprinter

Presently reading Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, I am not impressed so far.

I thought that was very good. Here’s my review from Goodreads, where I gave it four stars.

The world-building was compelling, the resolution pedestrian, and a lot of the rabbit holes were dead ends. And yet, much to mull over, even if the point was to deceive or distract. The saving grace: Clarke didn’t spin this out past its fascination limit. Shorter was better in this case.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by acprinter

I let Calibre pick a random book. It selected A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. I gave it 4 stars.

I am now reading Final Frontier by Diane Carey, a Star Trek Book. It's OK so far.

Does anyone have any recommendations for reading order in Star Trek books? I try to go by Goodreads suggestions.

I do have an order to read Star Trek eBooks. Read them in date published order. When you get to books set after the movie Nemesis, you want to start with Death in Winter by Micheal Jan Friedman.

I have a spreadsheet that shows the books in published order. So you can use that. It's not fully updated. But it's mostly updated.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

1/4 through China Miéville's The City and the City. I absolutely loved Embassytown, and am enjoying this one, but it's much harder work. Happily his delight in the mechanics and meaning of language is still very much integral to the story, the passages where he lets him loose to go into a deep dive into linguistics are beautiful and very engaging. It will take quite a while to finish this one though, that's for sure.

Spoiler:

The City is very much a main character.

[JSWolf]

I am slightly more then 1/2 done with Golden in Death by J. D. Robb. It's the 50th book in the IN Death series.

Pediatrician Kent Abner received the package on a beautiful April morning. Inside was a cheap trinket, a golden egg that could be opened into two halves. When he pried it apart, highly toxic airborne fumes entered his body—and killed him.

After Eve Dallas calls the hazmat team—and undergoes testing to reassure both her and her husband that she hasn’t been exposed—it’s time to look into Dr. Abner’s past and relationships. Not every victim Eve encounters is an angel, but it seems that Abner came pretty close—though he did ruffle some feathers over the years by taking stands for the weak and defenseless. While the lab tries to identify the deadly toxin, Eve hunts for the sender. But when someone else dies in the same grisly manner, it becomes clear that she’s dealing with either a madman—or someone who has a hidden and elusive connection to both victims.

It's a good read like all the other books in the series.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

Flynn has definitely improved his writing skill by this point and it is quite noticeable.

"had"

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser. The second in his memoirs of Flashman, which is currently only £0.99 at Amazon UK!

Flashman is a wonderful read. In an amusing twist, rather than Fraser having stolen a plot idea from another novel, it turns out that that author actually just adapted one of Flashman's tales.

Next I started on Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Abandoned about 1/3 of the way in. Without any suspense (since I know the plot, roughly) it's just dreary with unpleasant characters.

A random pick turned up a Greg Bear book, but since I gave the previous one in that series just 2/5, I just discarded that book from my TBR, along with a sequel, and picked another random book:

Interzone #219, bought some years ago.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Now reading Margot Bennett's The Man Who Didn't Fly - a mystery setup I've not before, very interesting.

3/5 at the Storygraph for that one - spitting on a mountain would erode it at a faster pace than that book sustained.

Now starting The Death of Mr Lomas the first of Francis Vivian's Inspector Knollis series

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Flashman is a wonderful read.

The Flashman books are terrific. I’m halfway through the series; it’s one of the few where I very rarely allow myself the treat of reading the next one, so as to prolong the pleasure.