What are We Reading Now? (April-June, 2019)

I'm about to start The Witches of New York by Ami McKay

I finished two books this week. One, a loan from a friend, The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes started out well, esp. I usually really enjoy stories set in either of the world wars, but it deteriorated into a romantic love story, which I don't enjoy so much. The second was The Last Hours by Minette Walters, which I requested from the library simply because I've always really liked her crime fiction novels. I was a bit surprised when I picked it up and realized it was historical fiction, but it turned out to be really interesting.

I'm reading Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

I've started reading a public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg: Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police, by Ralph Connor.

Finishing up my bibliography project with My Father's Dragon and finishing off Kasey & Ivy since I'm curious to see where it goes. I wasn't fond of it to start (being an old hat at hospital stuff, I had opinions about it, but I'm trying to be open about it now.)

I had a bunch of books I planned to read with the project but alas, don't have the time now, and I really don't need the added work, so I'm just hanging onto Seaglass Summer and The Asylum of Dr. Caligari. I'm still waiting for the film to become available.

I've loved everything I've read by British mystery novelist Elly Griffiths and this stand-alone novel was no exception. Really enjoyed Stranger Diaries.

More crime fiction this week-from Irish writer Ken Bruen this time. Really liked The Dramatist, one in his Jack Taylor series. Gritty and dark and somewhat harrowing at times-not one for the "cosy mysteries" type of reader.

Finished The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg, and am already trying out the idea of the habit loop. Next up in break-time reading: A Man Called Ove, written by Fredrik Backman and translated by Henning Koch.

A Man Called Ove is on my TBR shelves!

I've continued the Irish theme this week-another crime fiction novel-a debut work-that I thought was excellent. Looking forward to reading her next book. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

I'm reading my ER book, Mother Tongue by Julie Mayhew

Finished A Man Called Ove today. I liked it well enough but it took me a little while to get into.

Started a new Serial Reader read: The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair.

rabbitprincess, I just read The Jungle! Funny we would both pick up this old classic at the same time. Let me know what you think...I won't say anything 'til you are done.

>13 LynnB: Haha that's great! I'm going to tag it as a "group read" then ;) This serial has 66 installments, so I'll be reading it probably well into June, if not July.

Also going to get a start on The Stolen Voice, by Pat McIntosh. I've largely stopped reading mediaeval mysteries, but this series is set in mediaeval Glasgow, so of course I had to make an exception for it ;)

are you Scottish, rabbitprincess? I've just returned from there. My husband was born there and grew up in Troon.

>14 rabbitprincess: Only if I go back far enough ;) One of my great-grandmothers was born in Glasgow, and my family has made a couple of trips there. We haven't yet made it to Troon and Ayrshire and that part of Scotland, although we have been further south, to Wigtown and Portpatrick.

I'm reading She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan.

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund LuptonDefinitely didn't like this book as much as I enjoyed an earlier one (Sister). I found the plot line in this one totally unbelievable.

I'm reading The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery.

I'm reading two books that have excellent amounts of aviation-related content: The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal, and In the Wet, by Nevil Shute. Of the two, I am enjoying the Kowal more overall, because the timelines in the Shute are a bit weird.

It took me a little while to get into this book (I probably was prepared to dislike it because I didn't enjoy The English Patient at all when I read it many years ago) but by the middle I was totally captivated and wanted to start re-reading it as soon as I reached the end. I really likedWarlight by Michael Ondaatje-- the setting (place and time), the characters and especially that terse, but somehow lyrical prose.

ted74ca, I didn't like The English Patient when I read it. But, years later, I read In the Skin of the Lion which is partly a prequel, and after reading that, I developed more appreciation for English Patient.

I'm reading The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood, a historical novel about the Dionne quintuplets.

I'm reading History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund

I'm reading Liberty Street by Dianne Warren

Just finished Love Anthony by Lisa Genova and must admit that I was disappointed in this book. I've read a couple of other of Genova's novels and quite enjoyed them, but this one just did nothing for me.

ted74ca, I agree. It is my least favourite, so far!

I'm reading, and totally enjoying, Seep by W. Mark Giles

Finished a creepy, and rather dystopian horror story today by Canadian writer Andrew Pyper, called The Homecoming. Kept me reading right through to the end, in one sitting.

I'm reading Memory Board by Jane Rule

I just finished # 4 in Elly Griffith's Magic Men mystery series, The Vanishing Box and really enjoyed it.

I'm reading Helen Humphreys Machine Without Horses and loving it.

I'm reading In Other Words: How I Fell in Love with Canada One Book at a Time by Anna Porter.

>32 LynnB: That one's on my to-read list!

I've decided to abandon The Avro Arrow: For the Record -- it's not working for me. I'm switching to Into the Abyss, by Carol Shaben. One of my coworkers is reading it too, so we're having an impromptu book club ;)

The Wonder / Emma Donoghue
3 stars

In the mid-1800s, Lib is a nurse from England who has come to Ireland to keep watch, for two weeks, over a young girl who has not eaten in four months. Lib and another nurse, a nun, will swap shifts to always watch to see if the girl can really subsist on nothing. Is it a miracle? Lib is doubtful and expects she’ll be able to prove the hoax in short order.

I wondered part-way through if there had been people who really thought they could live without eating, and in fact, there were. Donoghue’s book was not based on one specific person, but on multiple people. Some did have people watch them at all times, as well. Donoghue’s author’s note tells us that each real-life instance had different outcomes.

I might have rated it higher, but the story was pretty slow-going. For the last third of the book or so, I thought it picked up quite a bit, but decided that I’d keep my rating at “ok”, which is where it fell for me for most of the book. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at the crazy religious people.

>25 ted74ca: I've read 2 by her and I want to read more. What is "Love Anthony" about? "Left Neglected" is another I haven't yet read. Not sure how many others. I have read "Inside the O'Briens" and, of course, "Still Alice".

>35 LibraryCin:. Love Anthony is concerned with childhood autism. I preferred Left Neglected and Still Alice to this one.

I just finished an excellent but sad little novel The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald whom I've not read anything by before.

Finally getting started on a French book this year: Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi.

>36 ted74ca: Thank you!

I'm reading The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman for a book club.

Brian's Winter / Gary Paulsen
3.5 stars

In “Hatchet”, 13(?)-year old Brian is stranded in the Canadian North after a plane crash. What if winter had come and he was still there? This looks at Brian trying to survive the winter on his own.

I listened to the audio and enjoyed it. It looks like I rated the first two books 4 stars each, but on thinking back, I feel like “Hatchet” should have been 4 stars and “The River” probably 3.5, same as this one. In any case, it was interesting to see the kinds of things Brian had to do/learn in order to survive over the winter.

I'm reading Paper: Paging Through History by Mark Kurlansky, one of my favourite writers.

I finished the seventh book in Anne Emery's mystery series: Death at Christy Burke's yesterday; didn't enjoy it as much as I had the others. Just too slow paced for me, though I was very interested in the description of the history of the Irish "troubles".

A day of reading today for me, instead of tackling the overdue housework and gardening tasks, to celebrate Mother's Day. Finished and just loved Transcription by Kate Atkinson.

Preparing to hit the road today, so will be listening to a new audiobook in the car: Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome, read by Hugh Laurie.

I'm reading my ER book, Pirate Queen: The Legend of Grace O'Malley by Tony Lee, illustrated by Sam Hart.

I'm reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

I'm reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

I'm reading the latest book in the Peter Grant series: Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch.

I have read the first 3 books by Louise Penny and I am hooked...just ordered the next two. In the meantime, I am reading a book for a book club: Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews.

Louise Penny has a new one coming out Aug. 27th A Better Man

In the latest Chief Inspector Gamache novel, the head of Québec’s homicide department embarks on an ill-advised search for a man’s missing daughter while flood waters rise across the province.

Wasn't feeling well today so settled down on my couch to read a rather mediocre crime fiction novel-#3 in a series-called Perfect Death by Helen Fields

Loving this relatively new police procedural series, set in Galway, Ireland. This one was The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan.

Finished The Asylum of Dr Caligari. Now working on a couple unfinished things, Sword of Destiny and Vas. As usual, I seem to be indecisive about which of the two to focus on. I have some reviews to do as well, not to mention the usual shelf of purchases. Fish in a Tree is first on that list.

I'm reading The Melody by Jim Crace

A departure from my typical reading fare of crime fiction, but I did really enjoy it. The Witches of New York by Ami McKay

I'm reading The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

>57 LynnB: how is that going? I've been eyeballing it.

I'm enjoying it, WeeTurtle. I'm only about 1/4 of the way through....it's two stories set 400 years apart, centered around some historical documents discovered. There are stories of the professor who studies the documents, and of the female scribe who wrote them.

Today I finished Maigret Stonewalled, by Georges Simenon, translated by Margaret Marshall. This afternoon I started The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk.

I'm reading Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, having just recently returned from Egypt and seeing the hotel featured in the story.

Started a very silly Doctor Who novel, Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell.

This is supposed to be the last in his Flavia de Luce mystery series: The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley. Not the best in the series, but Flavia IS growing up and is not quite so outrageous anymore. It was a good 10 year run of books.

I'm reading Roar by Cecelia Ahern

Started and finished what ended up being a rather disappointing plane novel: The Aviator, by Ernest K. Gann. Not because of the airplane stuff, but because of the really awkward character dynamics.

Just finished Educated by Tara Westover, after being on the waiting list at our library for nearly a year. I found it fascinating, though I grew dubious about the veracity of it all, esp. in the last few chapters. Her academic accomplishments ARE amazing, however and it was certainly a gripping read.

Circus: A Story from Circus / Clair Battershill
3 stars

This is just one story from a book of short stories. I don’t think I realized that when I picked it up. Or, if I did, I’d forgotten by the time I picked it up to read (now)! Anyway, I can’t really do a summary because it was so short and it seemed a bit all over the place. It moved too quickly to really have any kind of plot or story. It seemed like it might have made for a nice outline of an actual novel, maybe. That’s what gave it the 3 stars (ok) from me. A nice outline for a novel. But, really, it was too short, nothing much happened (until the very end, but then it ended, so we didn’t really get to find out what that was all about!).

Reading The Good Shepherd, by C.S. Forester. Apparently I'm on a WW2 naval kick.

I've finished Half Spent Was the Night by Ami McKay

I'm reading The Way of Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State by Graeme Wood

Finished Death on the Ice: The Great Newfoundland Sealing Disaster of 1914, by Cassie Brown.

Going for a change of pace with The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch.

Two books finished this week.
Having read and loved Amor Towles's A Gentleman in Moscow earlier this year, I was looking forward to reading Rules of Civility. Sadly, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. Still great writing, but I had absolutely zero interest in or attachment to any of the characters. By the middle of the book, I was still getting them mixed up in my mind.
2nd read was more my usual fare-crime fiction. Another good read in Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series-this one was Priest.

Haven't started The Furthest Station yet -- ended up diving into the newly updated 50th-anniversary edition of Monty Python Speaks!, by David Morgan.

Well, everyone I know raved about The Alice Network and then I didn't find it that great, and the same is true of The Huntress by Kate Quinn. Just not for me, I guess.

Started The Trespasser, by Tana French. Great story so far, but the big trade paperback is killing my hands. Funny how some trade paperbacks are more comfortable than others.

I'm about to start my latest LTER book, Blood Ties: A Cedric O'Toole Mystery by Barbara Fradkin.

Started and finished the much-more-comfortable trade paperback of The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz.

Next up in library reading is Domina: The Women Who Made Imperial Rome, by Guy de la Bédoyère.

Something different-recommended to me by my 30'something daughter-The Power by Naomi Alderman. It took me a while to get it finished-loved it at first, then got bored mainly by the novel's primary message being emphasized over and over again in every way possible, then I picked it up again and ended up quite impressed. I think it might have been better as a novella or extended short story.

.>>ted74ca, my book club will be reading The Power later this year. I'm looking forward to it as I really likedNaomi Alderman's other book, Disobedience.

I've just started Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper.

LynnB, I finished reading The Jungle yesterday! It was very good.

Today I started a new book on Serial Reader: Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray.

I ended up taking Domina (in >78 rabbitprincess:) back to the library unread; it was going to be due back the same day as Val McDermid's Broken Ground and had fewer holds, so I could re-request it and get it back sooner.

I'm off work tomorrow, but on Tuesday I will be starting When Eight Bells Toll, by Alistair MacLean, as my next bus book.

I'm reading All Kinds of Truths by Wayne Turner.

I'm visiting Montreal this weekend so have decided to dig out The Mayor of Côte St. Paul, by Ronald Cooke, for my travel reading.

I'm about to start Sarah Binks by Paul Hiebert

In honour of Canada Day, I"m sticking to Canadian books. Next up: Full Disclosure, a novel by our former Chief Justice, Beverley McLachlin.

Locavore: From Farmers' Fields to Rooftop Gardens... / Sarah Elton
4 stars

This looks at trying to eat locally in various parts of Canada. The first half of the book looks at agriculture and farming (the family farm, young farmers, organics, greenhouses), and the second half of the book moves into cities (urban farming, restaurants serving local, etc.)

Lots of people in lots of places across the country are doing things to try to make the world better by sourcing locally. It was interesting to learn about some of those different things. The author has a section at the end where she tries to help offer suggestions on what people can do/look for/ask if they want to move toward eating locally. She admits that she isn’t perfect about it, but really, every little bit helps. At the same time, once again, I wish I liked to cook or garden or both – would be really useful for my environmental sensibilities.

Curtains: Adventures of an Undertaker-in-Training / Tom Jokinen
4 stars

What happens behind the scenes when someone dies until they “appear” at the funeral? The author looks at this, in addition to the business of being an undertaker, in all the historical changes – from burial to cremation… and still to come, green burials. He works with a family funeral home in Winnipeg where he learns all the different aspects of the business. He also heads to California, where he learns more about green burials (at the time of writing – this was published in 2010 – in Canada, the only place you could have a green burial was in Guelph, Ontario, and somewhere in BC was building someplace for it), then to Las Vegas for an undertaker trade show – see all the new and best in funerial apparel!!

I found this really interesting. Of course, there was a bit of humour thrown in here and there. In such a business, I think there needs to be!

>88 LibraryCin:. Sounds quite interesting, actually! And I know that there are more green burial places now in Canada-I've already pre-purchased a spot for myself in a green burial garden in beautiful Parksville, BC. Only way I'll manage to reside in such a lovely oceanside location!

>89 ted74ca: Nice! I'm pretty sure we still don't have any option like that here in Calgary. But, sadly, I am in Alberta, and the government here is not exactly forward-thinking (quite the opposite, in fact). Sigh...

On my daily walk, I am listening to a CBC podcast on the Winnipeg General Strike. While not walking, I'm reading Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America by Elliott J. Gorn.

>90 LibraryCin:. Yep, I have to agree with your opinion on your provincial gov't :(

>92 ted74ca: I hate the politics here. We had a nice 4-year run until just a couple of months ago, but sadly, it was short-lived.