What Fiction are you reading this week, June 3, 2018?

[hermetic]

Don't you sometimes wish that you could just run away and hide?


I'm reading Runaway by Peter May, an intense thriller. In 1965, five teenage boys ran away to London seeking fame and fortune in the music business. Being the same age makes their adventure quite easy to relate to for me, even though it's a different country.

I'm listening to Christopher Moore's The Stupidest Angel through my library's Overdrive. (It was the only audio book available right now.) In spite of the Christmas theme it's still a great listen, wildly funny.

What books are taking you away this week?

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. Sweet photo. A book lovers dream.

I don't read much fiction, but , Jake Tappers new book right now.

[hermetic]

3. The Hellfire Club?

A political thriller/mystery, set in the 1950s. Sounds really good.

[PJMcK]

2. Trump's tweets (n/t)

[hermetic]

4. Fiction at its worst

I don't myself, but I do follow a few people on Twitter who repost them. You know, to mock them.

[PJMcK]

5. My cheap attempt at humor

You post the question in your OP every week and I respond with smart-ass comments. I'm sorry, hermetic! Sometimes, I can't help myself.

I'm not reading fiction this week. My father gave me "The Last Boy" about Mickey Mantle and I"m halfway through it.

Have a great week.

[hermetic]

8. Hey, thanks

It's okay. I enjoy a good chuckle.

[dameatball]

6. "The Frozen Hours" by Jeff Shaara........Korean War story of "Frozen Chosin."

[hermetic]

9. Historic fiction

A story of the Korean War, when Americans and Chinese waged one of its deadliest campaigns: the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as Frozen Chosin.

[Paladin]

40. That's a good novel.

I'd heard about the Chosin Reservoir battle for years and years; Shaara's book is a vivid depiction of it.

[dameatball]

42. Yes. "The Forgotten War" was brutal.

[Bayard]

7. Time is at a premium right now....

So much gardening to be done. But before I fall asleep at night--Nocturne, by Ed McBain.

[hermetic]

10. I hear ya

I've got a few things coming up. Now, if they will just produce...

Ah, a good old hard-boiled detective mystery. McBain (real name Salvatore Lombino) wrote so many different things, including The Blackboard Jungle and the screenplay for Hitchcock's film The Birds.

[Ohiogal]

11. I would rather sit and read a good book all afternoon

than do just about any kind of house work!

This week I am re-reading "Watership Down" by Richard Adams. When I say "re-reading, " I read it back when it was first published in 1972 and I was a teenager!

[hermetic]

12. I re-read it, too

A few years ago. I love that story SO MUCH!

[Ohiogal]

13. Great image!

Why isn't reading considered "woman's work"?

[CrispyQ]

25. My FB page is getting lots of love for that image!

Glad I'm not the only bad housekeeper.

[hermetic]

28. Alright!!

[PoorMonger]

14. Country Dark by Chris Offutt

Chris Offutt is an outstanding literary talent, whose work has been called “lean and brilliant” (New York Times Book Review) and compared by reviewers to Tobias Wolff, Ernest Hemingway, and Raymond Carver. He’s been awarded the Whiting Writers Award for Fiction/Nonfiction and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Fiction Award, among numerous other honors. His first work of fiction in nearly two decades, Country Dark is a taut, compelling novel set in rural Kentucky from the Korean War to 1970.

Tucker, a young veteran, returns from war to work for a bootlegger. He falls in love and starts a family, and while the Tuckers don’t have much, they have the love of their home and each other. But when his family is threatened, Tucker is pushed into violence, which changes everything. The story of people living off the land and by their wits in a backwoods Kentucky world of shine-runners and laborers whose social codes are every bit as nuanced as the British aristocracy, Country Dark is a novel that blends the best of Larry Brown and James M. Cain, with a noose tightening evermore around a man who just wants to protect those he loves. It reintroduces the vital and absolutely distinct voice of Chris Offutt, a voice we’ve been missing for years.

[hermetic]

15. Sounds really good.

Offutt has written quite a few books and stories about backwoods Kentucky.

[PoorMonger]

33. Musical Suggestion: ' Creosote '

https://m.

From Son Volt’s Straightaways (1997)

[japple]

16. Still reading Patrick D. Smith's book

A Land Remembered. Highly recommended for those who like historical fiction, history of Florida.

[hermetic]

21. This is interesting

There is a children's edition: A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. This Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. The Teacher's Manual help educators use A Land Remembered to teach language arts, social studies, and science according to the Sunshine State Standards of the Florida Department of Education.

Cool!

[japple]

37. Thanks for sharing that bit of information. It reminds me of the Little House

books. I am enjoying the story. Thanks, too, for hosting this thread week after week.

This little guy is keeping me pretty busy. Baby has a fractured femur of unknown origin. He is going to rescue, so I guess I'll be fostering until he gets better. Poor little one doesn't understand why he can't be with his siblings running and jumping. They are in another foster home.


[img]?1[/img]

[hermetic]

45. Aw. poor little guy

Adorable! Hope he's doing better.

Here's my 4 newbies. I'll be looking for homes soon.

[japple]

46. Sweet little bunch o'kitties. I got the rest of the kittens today. Sharing foster duties with

a friend and she is going out of town, so the trio was reunited this afternoon. Even with a broken leg, that little boy still thinks he is one of the Flying Wallendas! Here they are winding down for the day.

[img]?2[/img]

[pscot]

17. "People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading." Logan Pearsall Smith

I'm reading The Circle by Bernard Minier. French cop encounters old flame when her son is accused of murder. The work of a sadistic mass murderer is suspected. I'm also reading Arch of Triumph by Eric Maria Remarque. I read it every 20 years or so. It almost feels like a memory.

Cheers, Hermetic

[hermetic]

22. That's lovely

What you said about Arch of Triumph.

Here, this is fun: 9 Signs You'd Rather Read A Book Than Go Out This Weekend
https://www.bustle.com/articles/173226-9-signs-youd-rather-read-a-book-than-go-out-this-weekend

[PennyK]

18. Waiting for my Precious

Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King will arrive on the 12th and I can't wait! Yes, I pre-ordered it from Amazon - I'm that much in love with the marvelous Mary Russell and her Holmes. Counting down the days with my book of historical murder-mystery short stories, Travel Back Through Crime - Historical Whodunits. Current story stars Leonardo da Vinci.

[hermetic]

23. I'm excited for you

Can't wait to hear all about Island of the Mad.

[CrispyQ]

19. I started "A Game of Thrones" on Sunday.

My friend recommended it to me when I complained that I don't have a lot of time to read & when I do I'm disappointed in the stories. I'm 150 pages into it & definitely engaged, & I have two days before my project starts up again. I've never seen the TV series. This particular copy from the library is extremely well worn!

[hermetic]

24. That should definitely

keep you busy for a good long while.

[CrispyQ]

32. Have you read or watched it?

I remember once a long time ago, getting started on an epic series that was just starting & it took so long for the books to come out I forgot about it. LOL. David Eddings, IIRC. Never got back to it.

[hermetic]

34. No, neither

I "pulled the plug" on TV 15 years ago so only see things I am willing to buy on DVDs now. The only epic series I was ever able to read through were Lord of the Rings and Outlander. And the latter I gave up on after 4 books. There's just too many other books out there, calling to me.

I expect to read at least some of it (GOT) someday, though, if I live long enough. 'Cause I'm always reading.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

20. The Long Sunset

by Jack McDevitt. It's his latest. I'll probably finish it later this afternoon.

[hermetic]

27. Mmm, fun

Priscilla “Hutch” Hutchins discovers an interstellar message from a highly advanced race that could be her last chance for a mission before the program is shut down for good. The message is a piece of music from an unexplored area. What Hutch and her crew find at the other end of the galaxy is completely unexpected.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

30. Excellent summary.

I have really loved almost everything McDevitt has written. His novels anyway. I did think Time Travellers Never Die was not at all good, but all the academy novels and all the Alex Benedict novels are excellent, in my opinion.

[matt819]

26. As usual, I have a bunch on the go

Heather, The Totality - by Matthew Weiner. First novel for veteran TV writer/producer. Short novel, under 150 pages. Very low key, and yet captures the essence of people's characters, lives, ambitions, etc. About 30 pages in and looking forward to finishing it shortly.

The Shadow District - by Arnaldur Indridason. Started it a few days ago, couldn't get into it. Will try again.

The Legacy - by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Another Icelandic author. A bit of a slow start, but I'm going to keep going.

Twisted Prey - by John Sandford. The latest Lucas Davenport, now a U.S. Marshal for those who keep track of such things. Listening to this one. John Sandford is fantastic. Enough said. If you haven't read his books, start from the beginning, as the characters age, grow, develop, mature, etc. over the course of the novels. Handful of repeat characters, who are a hoot. Bob and Ray from New Orleans. The evil Taryn Grant, and Porter Smalls. Del Capslock has a cameo, as does Virgil Fucking Flowers.

The Whispering Room - by Dean Koontz. I just got this one out of the library. The second in the Jane Hawk series (at least a trilogy at the moment, don't know if there will be more. The first Jane Hawk novel, The Silent Corner, was a page turner, and I'm looking forward to this one, though I'll have to juggle what's in process.

[hermetic]

29. Good job

From now on I shall call you, "Intrepid Reader."

[Squinch]

31. "Belgravia" by Julian Fellowes, the guy who wrote Downton Abbey. Historical fluff,

but when Fellowes does it, it seems like more. And it's fabulous.

[hermetic]

35. Uh oh,

sounds like something else I need to read. I absolutely adored Downton Abbey.

[Squinch]

36. This one takes place right after the Napoleonic wars.

[PennyK]

39. I borrowed this from my library on Overdrive

Just started it and I like it!

[PoorMonger]

38. The Devil's Evidence by Simon Kurt Unsworth

Thomas Fool # 2

Thomas Fool is a detective from Hell--literally. Having survived the wrath of both angel and demon, and still without memory of his life on earth, Fool is currently spending his damnation as a bureaucrat heading up the Information Office of Hell. But when mysterious fires begin spooking higher-ups in the Bureaucracy--homicidal arson, it's believed--and a series of unexplained murders plagues Heaven, Fool is dispatched north to investigate.

But Heaven is not what Fool imagines. In fact, it's not so different from Hell. And friction between the two afterworlds is only beginning to mount as Fool conducts his investigation. The Devil's Evidence is a thrilling ride through the spiritual realm, and a welcome return for the dead's most endearing private eye.

[Paladin]

41. I'm about half-way through Stephen King's new one, "The Outsider."

It's good, but it's dark, even by King standards (brutal murder of a child in a small Oklahoma community). I feel fortunate to have gotten it so quickly from the library; it's currently #1 on the NYT fiction best-seller list.

[PoorMonger]

43. Tomorrow by Damian Dibben

A winter’s night, Venice, 1815. A 217-year-old dog is searching for his lost master.

So begins the journey of Tomorrow, a dog who must travel through the courts and battlefields of Europe—and through the centuries—in search of the man who granted him immortality. His adventures take him to the London Frost Fair, the strange court of King Charles I, the wars of the Spanish succession, Versailles, the golden age of Amsterdam and to nineteenth-century Venice.

His is a story of loyalty and determination, as Tomorrow befriends both animals and humans, falls in love (only once), marvels at the human ability to make music, despairs at their capacity for war and gains insight into both the strength and frailties of the human spirit. But Tomorrow’s journey is also a race against time. Danger stalks his path, and in the shadows lurks an old enemy. Tomorrow must find his master before their pursuer can reach him and his master disappears forever.

A spellbinding story of hope in the face of despair, Tomorrow draws us into a century-spanning tale of humanity and the unbreakable bond between two souls. After all, what is lost can surely be found…

[hermetic]

44. Interesting premise

Who's a good dog??

I love animal stories. Will definitely have to find this one.