Let's talk books!

[maddiesmum]

I have read all of Kate Morton's books. They are sweeping sagas, relying on deeply buried secrets and inquisitive characters to create and solve the mystery of each locale: river house, garden, etc, etc. Sadness lies at the heart of each, of course, since these are secrets that families and individuals have buried deep in order to be able to continue living, but the sadness of the past is always surrounded and softened to pathos by the present tense life of the protagonist who unearths the tragedies and whose life and outlook is improved by the search and journey. I have loved and gotten sucked in to each one of these novels in turn. I have walked long miles around and about town in the evenings and have dug and planted loads of plants in the garden, barely aware of what I was doing and of time passing as the narrative of these books on CD held sway.

The only nitpick I have about these books is in the bocd versions: the author is a native Australian and the woman who narrates the books is also Australian, yet each one of these novels is set in the early 2oth century in the UK, so unfortunately, the narrator's Australian accent is out of place and, as a native Londoner, I find it jarring. US readers and listeners might not find it quite so much of a mis-match ...


Here's a link to the titles in Kate Morton's library catalogue:

http://www.simonandschuster.com/search/books/_/N-/Ntt-kate morton

Clare

 

[maddiesmum]

Hi Clare,

I tried to send you a PM but it won't let me.

Peg:

thanks for the pm! Will reply soon!

Clare

 

[ellenj73]

Nelson Demille's John Corey series are also really good. The first one is called Plum Island. There is at least 6 out now, but I'm behind on a few right now.

I also think anything by Greg Iles is great.

An "honorable mention" category would be the Forensic Instinct series by Andrea Kane. I think the stories are good, a few cheesy subplots, but I like them enough to keep reading them. I can see her writing and story lines mature with each book in the series.

I love Nelson Demille and Greg Iles as well. The General's Daughter (the book, not the movie) was fantastic as well as Plum Island. Nelson Demille makes me laugh out loud in some places.

When I want a cheesy quick read, I go for Sue Grafton and her alphabet series with Kinsey Milhone.

I will have to go find the Andrea Kane series, thanks for the idea

 

[katie lee]

I am currently on book 7 of the Poldark series by Winston Graham. I was so impressed with Masterpiece Theatre's Poldark on PBS I decided to read the series. Historical novels based in Cornwall late 1700's.

 

[Repo]

Just finished What Alice forgot, highly recommend it.

 

[tlc93]

Just finished What Alice forgot, highly recommend it.

That was a great story! I loved it. Lianne Moriarty right? I believe she's also the author of The husbands secret.

 

[Henriette]

Books, books, books.... I just love books!
I can't get enough of them, and read at least one a week. Give me a couple of minutes to wait anywhere, whether for a train on the way to work, or at the doctor for an appointment... I will always have a book or Kindle in my hands.

Unfortunately the libraries here do not have all the books I would want to read, especially not in English... so it's always a matter of comparing the various Amazons and Kindle vs paperback. Why are paperbacks so much cheaper to buy, even including shipping across seas?!

In the past couple of months I have read 5 pyscho-thrillers that I really enjoyed:
Just What Kind Of Mother Are You? (Paula Daly)
While My Eyes Were Closed (Linda Green)
The Perfect Girl (Gilly Macmillan)
I Found You (Lisa Jewell)
Don't Wake Up (Liz Lawler) - this was one of the surprise 1.15 dollar offers on Kindle recently.

I also read some chick lit in between these, but they were not as memorable as these books, just a nice break from the suspense.
Chicklit authors that I tend to enjoy include: Lucy Diamond, Jenny Colgan, Adele Parks, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella

For those of you who enjoy Michael Connelly books, I can definitely also recommend Harlan Coben books.

And for the more romantic inclined... Nicholas Sparks rarely disappoints Reading one of his books this week.

 

[maddiesmum]

Attention all book lovers!

Laure Lippman recently made this excerpt from her upcoming new novel available for her fans. Book to be published in Feb 2018. Lippman is quality writing. She's the author of the Tess Monaghan PI series, based in Lippman's home town of Baltimore, but she also has published an array of stand alone thriller/msyteries and I cna recommend all of then to you. I read this excerpt and was immediately hooked into the story. How will I wait 'til Feb?!?!?!?!

https://parade.com/593534/parade/ex...ver-of-her-next-book-sunburn-plus-an-excerpt/

Also, I recently finished The People We Hate at the Wedding, which was very good, and The Arrangement which was even better! Here's a review of The Arrangement. It's a serious look at marriage, and also, hilarious with, again, high quality writing. A real winner.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3V7L...ntentNum=2&store=digital-text#Mx15ZUGBU2JRVLA

Clare

 

[tlc93]

Thanks for the recommendation Clare. I put it on my list. I'm very much into audiobooks right now. I love it. I'll always have a physical book too, always... I just finished Crazy House by James Patterson. It was very similar to The Hunger Games. I actually enjoyed it. The ending definitely lets you know it's only the beginning of a story. I've read or listened to a few this summer that were supposed to be best sellers, great reads etc. I thought....meh. Duds!

 

[tlc93]

I'm just getting into "Me before you". It was highly recommended and I just never started it. Well, now I can't put it down. My daughter said "It's not a one tissue story, it's the whole box of tissues!"

 

[maddiesmum]

I'm just getting into "Me before you". It was highly recommended and I just never started it. Well, now I can't put it down. My daughter said "It's not a one tissue story, it's the whole box of tissues!"

Oh yes, it's a real weepie! Funnily enough, my favourite book by Jo Jo Moyes is The Peacock Emporium. I have listened to this one on bocd several times already. It is a more complex narrative than her recent books and it influences the emotions in different ways. See if your local library has it. The central protagonist, who owns the antiques shop in the title, is flawed, and needs to get out of her own way, but the story involves her as a grown woman coming to terms with her past, her family, letting go of bitterness and the past, and accepting love in the form in which it finds her. It is a very touching love story. I love it. A happy ending, but it makes me cry anyway!

Clare