What Fiction are you reading this week, April 24, 2022?

[hermetic]

Reading Marina Lewycka's A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, a "wise, tender, and deeply funny novel that combines sex, bitchiness, wit, and genuine warmth in its celebration of the pleasure of growing old disgracefully." That sums it up nicely. The author was born in Ukraine and her family moved to England shortly after. What's happening over there now, in Ua, makes this story particularly poignant.

My "couch" book right now is The Answer Is...: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek. I just started this yesterday and learned his father was a chef who had emigrated from Ukraine as a child. Not fiction but I thought I would mention it for the coincidence.

Listening to Death of a Ghost by M. C. Beaton. Hamish and another police officer will spend the night in a ruined castle to get to the bottom of rumors of ghostly sounds and lights. When they find a dead body in the cellar, it's clear something strange--and deadly--is going on. This is the last Hamish Macbeth audio book available at my library so now I have to find something amusing to fill that void.

What books will you be ending April with?

[murielm99]

1. I am reading

If it Bleeds, by Stephen King.

My husband, shock of shocks, if finally reading Dune after all these years. I convinced him!

[hermetic]

2. I hope he enjoys it

I loved that book. And the second one. The third was good enough but after that, I just lost interest. That first one, though. Pow!

And: four new and compelling novellas from King. I must get that one. Thanks.

[murielm99]

3. I felt the same way

about the Dune sequels. I still own the two sequels. I lost interest after that.

[bif]

4. I've been bombing out lately.

I've quit the last 4 or 5 books I've started. Just started "The Outer Cape" by Patrick Dacey. It has promise.

[hermetic]

5. Bummer

It isn't easy to always find something that seems worth reading. Sounds like you might have finally found one, though. "A piercing and compassionate debut novel about the twisting ways in which the young atone for the sins of the old in small town America." It isn't often that I find a book listed that has a solid 5-star rating. That's a good sign.

[bif]

9. I'm about 40 pages in

And it's pretty engaging. My wife just finished the latest by Anthony Doerr and loved it. So that's next on the list. Plus a visit to the library to grab the next 5 books in my reading mission. 5 at a time, and each book gets a 50 page trial with me.

[PittBlue]

6. I am in two book clubs.

I just finished reading The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett for one of the clubs. Our library discussion group chose Kristen Hannah’s Four Winds. After reading Four Winds I thought I will never have anything to complain about again…what those people endured during the Dust Bowl was horrible.

[hermetic]

12. Those both sound quite compelling

"Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise."

And Hannah's is "a captivating, heartbreaking tale of a family who will do anything for each other ― and everything to survive. The strength of Hannah's prose brings the characters to life in a way that will make you unable to tear yourself away from them."

Thanks.

[The King of Prussia]

7. Gone non-fiction just now

"The Moon's A Balloon" - the autobiography of David Niven.

Earlier in the week I read "The Creak on the Stairs" by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir. Jolly good. After that it was "Miss Pinkerton" by Mary Roberts Rinehart. That started very well then deteriorated badly.

Reading time may well be curtailed in the future - I have decided to go back into teaching.

Have a good week!

[hermetic]

11. What will you teach?

I do wish you the best with your endeavour. I hope you will check in on occasion and let us know how it's going.

Rinehart: there's a name I haven't heard for many years. I used to read her books when I was younger. I see she had a new one out just last year, The Wall. I also see she has written 67 novels. I should have a look at some of those.

Edit to make that a "she"

[The King of Prussia]

15. I teach Upper Key Stage 2

9 - 11 year olds. But I might look at doing tutoring for older children, and that would be English language/literature.

[hermetic]

16. I was going to guess

Literature. I think that's wonderful, to instill in young people the love of reading. Or at least appreciation. God knows that will be sorely lacking in this country's future if things keep going the way they are. So, hurrah for you, and thanks.

[hermetic]

21. I say

Saw this, thought of you.



Also wanted to tell you I've been watching Grantchester. Incredible drama.

Cheerio.

[The King of Prussia]

23. Ha!

I have a bit more hair than that too!

Grantchester I did enjoy, but think the standard dropped in the last two series. Somewhat unusually it is actually filmed in the real Grantchester, which I know well because I lived for a while in Haslingfield - which is just across the fields.

"See" you on Sunday!

[Runningdawg]

8. The Hidden Palace: A Novel of the Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.

It's a sequel to The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel (2013). It was fantastic, I never expected a follow-up, but now I want a series.

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. They meet in NYC in 1899.

[hermetic]

10. Oh, I read that one

Long time ago. Now I shall also look forward to the sequel. Thanks!

[yellowdogintexas]

25. I just got that one. I read the first one several years ago & loved it

I'll make The Hidden Palace my next read

[Runningdawg]

27. You're going to love it! Books I & II are now on my hardback wish list.

[japple]

13. Thank you for the weekly thread, hermetic. That is one handsome tuxedo kitty

in your OP.

I finished reading Ericka Roebuck's book, Sisters of Night and Fog which I highly recommend. It kept me up into the wee hours. I am now reading her book The Invisible Woman, the story of Virginia Hall, an agent in the OSS who worked with the French Resistance during WWII. It is another page turner.

[hermetic]

17. Yes, such a cutie

That does sound excellent: "A heart-stopping new novel." I'm happy to see there are new books about fighting the nazis, and winning. Thank you for telling us about this one. Hopefully more people will give it a read.

[Number9Dream]

14. Finished "The Last Templar" by Raymond Khoury; Started "Kingdom of Bones" by James Rollins

It was the best book by Khoury that I've read. He included many historical details (may or may not be true) about the Knights Templar, the early Gospels, Council of Nicaea, etc... just enough to make for thought provoking arguments. It was a good action, page-turner.

I'm the first at my library to get the newest James Rollins, Sigma series book. 75 pages in and it's excellent... a strange, unknown virus in the Congo, large nasty ants, killer baboons, and more.

[hermetic]

18. Cooool,

Yeah, that sounds like fun reading. Rollins is always such a great story teller. Looking forward to reading this one myself.

Glad to hear you liked that Khoury book, as well. Intriguing stuff.

[SheltieLover]

19. Homicide in High Heels, by Gemma Halliday

She is quite a prolific author with several series.

Now starting DeLeon's "Swamp Sweets." Ready for a good laugh!

[Stargleamer]

20. Nice kitty you have there!

Last edited Tue Apr 26, 2022, 12:05 AM - Edit history (1)

I am reading a short story by Ursula LeGuin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas". I know that the proper follow-up to this story, is NK Jemison's response, a short story entitled "The Ones Who Stay and Fight".

[hermetic]

22. Hi there

Sorry so slow to reply but it's been a pretty busy week around here.

Ursula was truly one of the best. She hit upon the name of Omelas upon seeing a road sign for Salem, Oregon, in a car rear view mirror. It's not often a short story merits a page of its own on Wikipedia.
That's not my cat but I do have a couple somewhat similar. I'm always searching the interwebs for nice pictures with books and it there's a cat, too, so much the better.

Thanks for stopping in. Do come again.

[Stargleamer]

24. Should you ever want to. . .

You can read this show story for free here: http://shsdavisapes.pbworks.com/f/Omelas.pdf

You are quite right—it’s not often that a short story get’s a Wikipedia page, unless it’s a Lovecraft or Poe short story and even then not usually

[yellowdogintexas]

26. I finished The Girl from the Mountains a WW2 story

1942, Czechoslovakia: Gently, she lowered the sleeping infant, swaddled in blankets, down into the tiny, dark space and carefully replaced the wooden floorboards. As she stepped back, she heard the slamming of doors, voices shouting in German and the sound of dogs beginning to bark…

When the Gestapo arrive to arrest Magda’s kind, Jewish employers—clever Dr Tauber and his talented wife—she has only moments to save their tiny new-born son Samuel by placing him in a makeshift hiding place beneath the floor in her room.

With the Taubers gone, their alpine villa is taken over by a brutal Nazi commander, who is determined to hunt down Resistance fighters in the mountains. Trapped in the house, Magda manages to get Samuel into hiding with her friends in the Resistance. Magda supports the cause, passing coded messages about the commander and smuggling much-needed supplies to their secret network.

Magda is playing a dangerous game and it isn’t only her life on the line. And she will need to risk more than she ever thought possible to keep Samuel safe...


and 19 Yellow Moon Road, #33 in the Sisterhood series.

Maggie Spritzer’s nose for a story doesn’t just make her a top-notch newspaper editor, it also tells her when to go the extra mile for a friend. When she gets a strange message from her journalism pal, Gabby Richardson, Maggie knows her services are needed. Gabby has become involved with The Haven, a commune that promises to guide its members toward a more spiritually fulfilling life. But Gabby’s enthusiasm has turned to distrust ever since she was refused permission to leave the compound to visit her sick mother.

Maggie wants to learn more about The Haven, and the Sisterhood is eager to help. It turns out The Haven’s founders are the sons of a disgraced Chicago businessman in prison for running a Ponzi scheme. They also have connections to a Miami billionaire with dubious sidelines. Soon, the Sisterhood gang embark on a search—and uncover a web of crime that runs deeper and higher than they ever imagined. And they’ll need all their special skills to bring it down…