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

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Gazella

Just started Murder on the Links, a Hercule Poirot mystery by Agatha Christie.

An ingenious plot! Christie knows how to tell a good story.

Next up is The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.

[HarryT]

Just finished "Last Ditch" by Ngaio Marsh, the 29th book in the "Inspector Alleyn" series. A young woman is killed, apparently in a horse riding accident, and Alleyn's son, a young writer, witnesses the event. Is all as it seems, and what, if any, is the connection with a local artist?

Pretty good, although not up to the quite exceptional standards of the previous book in the series, "Black As He's Painted". Almost at the end of the series now - only 3 books to go. Marsh shows absolutely no sign of deteriorating with age - a striking contrast with the truly dire books which Agatha Christie wrote (and really shouldn't have) in her final years.

On next to "Voyage", by Stephen Baxter - hard SF at its best. An "alternate history" book in which NASA pressed on from the Apollo moon landings with an ambitious programme to carry out a manned mission to Mars.

[JoelArnold]

I'm about 150 pages into Joe Hill's N0S4A2. Enjoying it so far!

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just finished "Last Ditch" by Ngaio Marsh, the 29th book in the "Inspector Alleyn" series. A young woman is killed, apparently in a horse riding accident, and Alleyn's son, a young writer, witnesses the event. Is all as it seems, and what, if any, is the connection with a local artist?

Pretty good, although not up to the quite exceptional standards of the previous book in the series, "Black As He's Painted". Almost at the end of the series now - only 3 books to go. Marsh shows absolutely no sign of deteriorating with age - a striking contrast with the truly dire books which Agatha Christie wrote (and really shouldn't have) in her final years.

HarryT, Ngaio Marsh/Inspector Alleyn or Colin Dexter/Inspector Morse, since you've read both, which do you like best?

Are you familiar with Margery Allingham's books?

[Dr. Drib]

I'm currently reading "Terra Amata," by J.M.G. LeClezio, a Nobel Prize winner in Literature about 3 years ago.

I'm almost finished with it, and I'm enjoying it - but I enjoy experimental literature.

If you like experimental literature, then you might want to give him a try. Download a sample first, though.




Don

[SeaBookGuy]

I'm most of the way through a Nero Wolfe mystery Champagne for One, centering on "rehabilitated" unwed mothers, finding the story rather creepy overall, and will be glad to get it over with; I would've bailed, but am genuinely interested in the outcome (murderer).

[jmilica]

Originally Posted by jmilica

I am continuing my PKD spree so I started The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

Taking a rest from PKD (only for a while, Palmer Eldritch was a great read!) and approaching the end of Aberration of Starlight by Gilbert Sorrentino. I could hardly put this down...it really had my attention on, as well as curiosity. I also like a rather interesting form of the book with perspective shifting from four different characters.
Going for a holiday so I am planning to read the first two books in MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, before the last novel comes out.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Gazella

HarryT, Ngaio Marsh/Inspector Alleyn or Colin Dexter/Inspector Morse, since you've read both, which do you like best?

Are you familiar with Margery Allingham's books?

Not HarryT, but have read all three. Of the three, I think I'd probably have to go with the Allingham Campion books, but it's a really, really tough call. I've got almost all of the Ngaio Marsh books in Audible format as well, and they're quite enjoyable that way.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Gazella

I have this on my TBR list. This a trilogy so is Words Like Coins a short story or something?

Yes, it is a short story. It's available as an eBook.

[dreams]

Originally Posted by dreams

I've started The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis I? by Bob Thiel Ph.D. and so far it is just meh.. I am finding myself skimming through parts. I've started 3/13/13: POPE FRANCIS THE LAST by CLARK MITCHELL and, so far, it is a little more interesting to read, but just not catching my attention. Thankfully, these were free. Maybe, it's time for a romantic comedy or a historical mystery. I hate when I can't decide what to read next.

Neither were really worth the time to read. There were a few interesting pieces of information, but meh...
Next was a short story (book?) that was a preorder freebie from Hodder & Stoughton, a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette - The Twelfth Tablet by Tom Harper. "Twelve golden tablets sit in museums around the world, each created by unknown hands and buried in ancient times, and each providing the dead with the route to the afterlife. Each has taken its own journey, and each has its own story to tell. This is one of those stories."

I don't know if this .. ah.. I just found an additional part about this short book on his website, "Taking place a few months before The Orpheus Descent, this is one of those stories." So, this is a teaser to the new book about "2500 years ago, the philosopher Plato travelled to Italy on the trail of an ancient mystery – a riddle written in gold, pointing the way to an unimaginable truth. What he found changed him forever, and set him on the path to becoming the founding thinker of western civilisation. " The ebook is $16.79, so a pass for me. Maybe someday if the price comes down.

Next up is Tom Kasey aka Peter Stuart Smith - The Dante Conspiracy [Historical Thriller] - free Apr 2013

Spoiler:

Florence, Italy.

The corpse of a professor of Italian Renaissance poetry is found in a deserted barn outside Florence, his body ravaged by prolonged torture.

But there seems no reason why anyone would want him dead.

Hours later, somebody breaks into Dante’s cenotaph in the Santa Croce Basilica. But that’s an empty stone box, so what were the thieves expecting to find there?

The case makes no sense, and the only link between the crimes seems to be a couple of mysterious new verses which possibly might be a part of the Divine Comedy.

Could the verses contain a code? And, if so, to what? And who wants to decode them so badly that they would kill to discover the secret?

As the body-count rises and gunshots echo around the ancient streets of Florence, the detectives investigating the murder realize they’re in a race to the death. They must crack the code and uncover the secret before the killers get there first.

The truth will be more shocking than they could ever have imagined. And more dangerous as well.

'The Dante Conspiracy' is a chilling conspiracy thriller perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Steve Berry and Clive Cussler.

"An edge-of-the-seat thriller, with fantastic historical detail." - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code'.

Tom Kasey is a pseudonym for a well-known thriller writer responsible for a series of best-sellers. His other books include the best-selling Trade-Off.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading publisher of digital books.

[thinkpad]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Reading order...

Farseer
1. Assassin's Apprentice (1995)
2. Royal Assassin (1996)
3. Assassin's Quest (1997)
Words Like Coins (2012)

Liveship Traders
1. Ship of Magic (1998)
2. The Mad Ship (1999)
3. Ship of Destiny (2000)

Tawny Man
1. Fool's Errand (2001)
2. The Golden Fool (2002)
3. Fool's Fate (2003)

Rain Wild Chronicles
1. The Dragon Keeper (2009)
2. Dragon Haven (2010)
3. City of Dragons (2012)
4. Blood of Dragons (2013)

I love Robin Hobbs Dragon series: Rain Wild Chronicles (especially since all books in the series are published. Currently reading the last one Blood of Dragons). Farseer trilogy was ok but I didn't like the Liveship Traders trilogy, I gave up after the first book.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Gazella

HarryT, Ngaio Marsh/Inspector Alleyn or Colin Dexter/Inspector Morse, since you've read both, which do you like best?

That's a very difficult question for me to answer, since I enjoy both so much.

Dexter is the master of the complex, intellectually-challenging, murder mystery. I enjoy the "challenge" of the Morse books, and Morse himself is of course a fascinating character.

In many of Marsh's book the murder is obvious - trivial, even. It just forms the background to the story. It's the characters I love so much in her books. She's undoubtedly the better novelist, I think.

I you were to force me to choose one over the other, I would - with great reluctance - choose Dexter, I think.

Are you familiar with Margery Allingham's books?

I've read some of them in paper, but they aren't (legally) available as ebooks, so I'm putting off re-reading them in the hope that they'll be released as ebooks.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's a very difficult question for me to answer, since I enjoy both so much.

Dexter is the master of the complex, intellectually-challenging, murder mystery. I enjoy the "challenge" of the Morse books, and Morse himself is of course a fascinating character.

In many of Marsh's book the murder is obvious - trivial, even. It just forms the background to the story. It's the characters I love so much in her books. She's undoubtedly the better novelist, I think.

I you were to force me to choose one over the other, I would - with great reluctance - choose Dexter, I think.

Interesting. For some reason I thought you'd choose Marsh over Dexter but I can tell that it was difficult to choose between the two. I like mysteries that keep me guessing which is why I thoroughly enjoy Christie's books. I recall a post you made a day ago that Marsh's books tend to have great depth of characterization and so I'm interested and will be checking out some of her Inspector Alleyn books to see how she compares to Christie since they're both regarded as "Queens of Crime".

Originally Posted by CRussel

Not HarryT, but have read all three. Of the three, I think I'd probably have to go with the Allingham Campion books, but it's a really, really tough call. I've got almost all of the Ngaio Marsh books in Audible format as well, and they're quite enjoyable that way.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by thinkpad

I love Robin Hobbs Dragon series: Rain Wild Chronicles (especially since all books in the series are published. Currently reading the last one Blood of Dragons). Farseer trilogy was ok but I didn't like the Liveship Traders trilogy, I gave up after the first book.

If you don't mind me asking, was there any information in the Tawny Man series that you felt you were missing by skipping the Liveship Traders trilogy? I'd like to continue the story of Fitz and the Fool and I don't think a series based on a ship will appeal to me. I'm not sure how tightly the series are bound together.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

If you don't mind me asking, was there any information in the Tawny Man series that you felt you were missing by skipping the Liveship Traders trilogy? I'd like to continue the story of Fitz and the Fool and I don't think a series based on a ship will appeal to me. I'm not sure how tightly the series are bound together.

FWIW, I enjoyed the "Liveship" series very much. Well worth having a go. Why not at least download the free sample of the first book?