rhian_of_oz Reads in 2021 - January to June

I'm Rhian and this is my third year in Club Read. My reading goal for this year (like the previous two years) is to make a dent in my TBR pile. As at 31 December 2020 the TBR count is 129.

Currently reading:
The Mirror and The Light by Hilary Mantel
The Fall of Koli by M R Carey (trilogy)
By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez (bookclub)

Next up:

Potential TBR from CR:
The Far Country by Nevil Shute (jjmcgaffey)
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss (Nickelini)
Memorial by Bryan Washington (Simone2)
Based On A True Story by Delphine de Vigan (wandering_star)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (sallypursell)
The Harpy by Megan Hunter (RidgewayGirl)
The Push by Ashley Audrain (dianeham)
The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Markon)
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (Nickelini)
Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell (shadrach_anki)
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (AlisonY)
The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams (lisapeet)
Testosterone Rex by Cordelia Fine (LolaWalser)
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (shadrach_anki)
Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan (Nickelini)
A Fairy Tale by Jonas T Bengtsson (Nickelini)
Girl A by Abigail Dean (Ridgeway Girl)
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (BLBera)
One More Croissant For The Road by Felicity Cloake (Nickelini)

Quarter 1

January

1. 488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan


2. A Dangerous Engagement by Ashley Weaver


3. Nine Lessons by Nicola Upson


4. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu


5. Doing Time by Jodi Taylor


6. Corrupt Bodies by Peter Everett


7. Uncook Yourself by Nat's What I Reckon


8. Christmas Tales by William Mcinnes


9. The Seven by Peter Newman


10. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

February

1. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams


2. The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi


3. Faithless in Death by J D Robb


4. Hideaway by Nora Roberts


5. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel


6. The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

March

1. The Deep by Rivers Solomon


2. The Last Emperox by John Scalzi


3. The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman


4. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern


5. The Sentinel by Lee Child


6. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty


7. All That Remains by Professor Sue Black


8. The Children of Men by P D James


9. An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire

QTD
Books owned pre-2021: 14 (56.00%)
Books purchased in 2021: 6 (24.00%)
Books gifted in 2021: 0 (0.00%)
Borrowed books: 5 (20.00%)

YTD
Books owned pre-2021: 14 (56.00%)
Books purchased in 2021: 6 (24.00%)
Books gifted in 2021: 0 (0.00%)
Borrowed books: 5 (25.00%)

TBR: 130

Quarter 2

April

1. The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner


2. Friday Barnes No Escape by R A Spratt


3. The Book of Koli by M R Carey


4. Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling


5. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary


6. Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel


7. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

May

1. Network Effect by Martha Wells


2. The Trials of Koli by M R Carey


3. The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester


4. Turns Out I'm Fine by Judith Lucy


5. The Last Human by Zack Jordan

June

1. And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic


2. Uprooted by Naomi Novik


3. The Lily in the Snow by Jackie French


4. Two Steps Onward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist


5. Legacy by Nora Roberts


6. Win by Harlan Coben

QTD
Books owned pre-2021: 6 (33.33%)
Books purchased in 2021: 12 (66.67%)
Books gifted in 2021: 0 (0.00%)
Borrowed books: 0 (0.00%)

YTD
Books owned pre-2021: 22 (51.16%)
Books purchased in 2021: 16 (37.21%)
Books gifted in 2021: 0 (0.00%)
Borrowed books: 5 (11.63%)

TBR: 137

Welcome back Rhian! Look forward to seeing what you read this year.

>4 markon: Thanks Ardene, I'm looking forward to your reading as well.

Looking forward to seeing what you read this year! I'm going to try to be more present than I was last year....

>6 shadrach_anki: Anki I think we share common reading interests so I think the likelihood is high that I will be hit by some BBs by you this year.

488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan

Kitty Flanagan is an Australian comedian whom I find very funny. This book started out as a segment she presented on a weekly TV news satire program.

As expected it's fun and light-hearted, with some rules making me laugh out loud. I'm not sure what it says that I found myself nodding in agreement to lots of them :-). Though thinking about it I *am* a stickler for rules.

Hi, Rhian, I look forward to following your reading again this year:).

>1 rhian_of_oz: As at 31 December 2020 the TBR count is 129.

Oh sweet summer child... ;)

Happy New year! :)

A Dangerous Engagement by Ashley Weaver

This is the sixth book in the Amory Ames series.

It's October 1933 when Amory (our narrator) and Miles (her husband) arrive in New York (from London) to attend the wedding of one of Amory's old friends.

There are questions and tensions from the start before someone is murdered and Amory and Miles (though mostly Amory) set out to discover whodunnit.

This has the feel of a cozy mystery even though it's set in New York and the characters are members of high society or gangsters.

This was a nice easy read for a lazy Saturday. The mystery isn't too challenging, and the story also continues the development of Amory and Miles' relationship. I found Amory's actions to be borderline reckless so I'll be keeping an eye on that in future instalments. Nothing annoys me more than characters behaving stupidly (and out of character) just so the author can put them in a dangerous situation that they can then cleverly get out of. (I'm looking at you Kathy Reichs.)

>10 AnnieMod: :-D

The more amusing thing is that I immediately added three books to the pile by going to the library - not a great start!

Happy new year! Looking forward to your review of The Dark Forest.

>13 Dilara86: It's taking me a while to get through - not because it's hard to read but because it's not a light read and I want to make sure to pay it the proper attention.

Curious about The Dark Forest too. Happy 2021! Interest is growing on Mantel's Cromwell trilogy. (And I like the schedule you put on the message board)

Stopping in to leave a star. Happy reading, Rhian.

>16 sallypursell: Thanks Sally. Happy new reading year to you too.

Nine Lessons by Nicola Upson

This is number seven in the Josephine Tey series.

The main character in this instalment is Josephine's friend DCI Archie Penrose, whose investigation of a series of murders brings him to Cambridge where Josephine happens to be staying while helping set up a new house. At the same time a number of rapes have the women of Cambridge frightened and the men angry.

There are two story threads here - the crime/mystery component of the murders and rapes, and the interpersonal component between Josephine and Archie and their friends and lovers.

It's been almost three years since I read the previous book in the series and when I look back at my notes I can see I was less than enthusiastic about books four, five and six. This one was more like the old-fashioned mystery that the earlier books were.

I liked the "main" mystery plot probably because it was a little convoluted, and also because I didn't pick who was responsible before Archie did. The rapes story line was less about the mystery of who was responsible (though Josephine figures that out in the end) and more about the impact they had on women - those directly attacked and those not.

The interpersonal thread was a bit, I don't know how to describe it, overly angsty? Which is a complaint I had about one of the earlier books, but this one is in a completely different way. The resolution was a bit extreme - it felt a bit like the author had painted herself into a corner and the only way out was to knock the walls down.

I think I will leave this series here. It's not that I didn't enjoy this book (I did more than the previous couple) but I find I'm not actually that interested in what happens to the characters in the future.

Sigh. Is it a disease? Even when I don't intend to I still end up acquiring books.

I volunteer in a local charity shop where we have quite an extensive book selection. My first stint back since the new year resulted in two purchases. One was the latest Lee Child which was on my wishlist and which was ridiculously cheap. The second was a recommendation from one of my fellow volunteers.

The irony is that yesterday on the way home from work I decided not to stop off in town so that I wouldn't be tempted to buy any books.

I'm not giving up on my goal (especially not so early) but I fear >10 AnnieMod: is more accurate than I'd hoped.

>19 rhian_of_oz: Acquiring books makes me feel good-even when it takes me ages to get to read some of them!

Good luck with reducing your TBR pile. My pile is many times larger than that and I've given up on trying to control it. Acquiring books was one of life's few pleasures in 2020 and I don't see much change in 2021

Hello!--making sure I keep the Miss Fisher fan on the map. :)

>19 rhian_of_oz: I would say if you volunteer somewhere that sells books then only coming away with two showed some excellent self control.

>22 LolaWalser: :-D

I remember when I first saw the TV series and got a bit huffy about how they'd changed things from the books (especially Jack). But they've done such a good job of casting that I soon enough came around to the show.

Have you read her Corrina Chapman series? It's set in contemporary Melbourne and is a bit quirkier than the Fisher series but I really like it.

>23 AlisonY: Hehe, weirdly I don't often buy books from there (though I do a lot of skim reading!) as I'm happily occupied restocking the shelves and putting out books that I think are good or that look interesting. And occasionally having a chat with a book-loving customer.

>24 rhian_of_oz:

I haven't read the books, I didn't know of them at all (before the series). Or the author! Quirky can be good. I'll try to remember.

Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

Placeholder.

Corrupt Bodies by Peter Everett

This was recommended to me by an acquaintance who described it as being somewhat interesting but not necessarily well-written.

Which turned out to be an accurate description.

Don't get me wrong, it's not *bad* but it's not great. I suspect it got written/published because the author is possibly (I'm not sure) famous in the UK (he's been on the telly).

The subtitle is "Death and dirty dealing in a London morgue" and it included that, but I thought it would be more objective/reportage. Instead it is more a biography/memoir and in some instances it came across as self-serving somehow.

This was okay. I don't regret the time I spent reading it but I wouldn't recommend it.

Doing Time by Jodi Taylor

This is the first in the Time Police series which is a spinoff from Ms Taylor's Chronicles of St Mary's series.

The St Mary's series was very welcome last year - fun reads where I was quite happy to be swept along wherever they took me - but I was a little hesitant to read this new series, worried that some of the appeal was circumstantial.

I had nothing to fear as this was as much fun as I was hoping for. It's not as madcap as the St Mary's books (the Time Police are supposed to be the serious ones) though there is a little bit of "slapstick". It includes some characters we have met before, fleshing them out, while starting to establish new characters (as befits a first book). Some of the crew from St Mary's also make a couple of appearances.

I believe you should read the St Mary's series before this to get the most out of it, but if you're looking for a bit of escapism and willing to go along for the ride without having to think too much, then I can recommend this.

I intend to read the next in the series, though I'm happy to wait for a bit.

Uncook Yourself by Nat's What I Reckon

Nat's What I Reckon exploded last year when his cooking video for Quarantine Sauce went viral so he's taken advantage of his surge in popularity to release a book.

This is definitely for fans, and what I mean by that is he writes the way he speaks - very Aussie and very sweary.

He is a classic 'don't judge a book by it's cover' - with his long hair, multiple tattoos and piercings, and language it would be easy to write him off as a bogan, but he is a funny, irreverent, perceptive, sensitive young man.

The subtitle of the book is "A Ratbag's Rules for Life" and it does what it says on the tin. He is cheeky without being obnoxious, poking fun and showing up the ridiculousness of convention, but never 'punching down'.

At my age I pretty much live the way I want so this book isn't going to change my life. But I reckon there is room to be a bit more silly.

very sweary

Halfway to best friends already. :)

Christmas Tales by William McInnes

I have most of Mr McInnes' work so when I saw this before Christmas I pounced.

I've seen him speak in-person a couple of times and to me he writes the way he speaks - fairly laconic, self-effacing, and quietly humourous.

He has a talent for recognising the ridiculous or the beauty in every day moments. This book swings between laugh-out-loud and poignant. His style is conversational - a story may segue into another story before returning to the original - but isn't stream-of-consciousness, there is a point to each part.

It's hard to know whether this would resonate as much with non-Australians though the themes of family and friendship are universal. If you're looking for a gentle, easy read then this is for you.

We're back home from our holiday but I still have a couple of days off work and how better to spend that time than in a second-hand bookshop. My main goal (Bring Up The Bodies) was unachieved but I spent a happy time (I'm not sure how much - how wonderful is that!) browsing the shelves. Mt TBR increased by five and despite this being counter to my goal I have no regrets :-).

>33 rhian_of_oz: We aren't even allowed in the library here. What did you buy?

>34 dianeham: We're in such a bubble here I forget that the rest of the world is not the same.

My new books (in order of size) are:
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (BB from Simone2)
The Trial by Franz Kafka (recommendation from bookclub in relation to The Memory Police)
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (BB from RidgewayGirl)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin (BB from bragan)
By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar (bookclub recommendation)

>35 rhian_of_oz: I liked The Memory Police. i keep seeing posts about N K Jemisin - will have to investigate.

We can request books from the library when they have it ready, we have to call and make an appointment to go and pick it up on a table outside. Takes all the fun out of it. Their collection has gotten worse since I worked there.

I watched the Phryne Fisher movie Crypt of Tears which is based on the character created by Kerry Greenwood.

My initial reaction was that it was ridiculous, but then I checked myself, realised it's no more ridiculous than Raiders of the Lost Ark and settled in to enjoy the ride.

Having said that there were a couple of scenes I couldn't help rolling my eyes - Phryne breaks someone out of prison in broad daylight wearing a bright red dress, and Jack removes his shirt to rescue Phryne from quicksand instead of using the parasol that was right there.

It was gorgeous to look at even while the mystery isn't too hard to solve. It's a shame we only had the briefest glimpse of the other regular characters (Dotty especially - in the TV series I really enjoyed watching her character develop) but seeing Jack in top hat and tails (hubba hubba!) almost made up for it.

>37 rhian_of_oz: Honestly, my biggest problem with the movie was the plot with the Bedouin village. I would have been fine with a silly adventure movie otherwise, and as a fan of Doctor Who, it's not like I've got an issue with low quality special effects. :-)

First of all, as far as I know, the Bedouin are nomadic. Not all are today, of course, (though many still are,) but the idea that there's been a stationary village of Bedouin since Alexander's time makes absolutely no sense to me, and pulled me out of the plot.

And more importantly, the whole thing felt very racist in the Exotic Mystical Foreigners way, and that made it really hard to enjoy the silly adventure shenanigans.

I think the whole thing would have worked better if they had focused more on adapting the story rather than sticking to the original book version (which admittedly I haven't read), which I'm guessing is what they did.

I'd have made the village simply an Arab village, rather than specifically Bedouin, removed the mystical whosit plot entirely, and centered the story around the mystery of the slaughter of the village, which was already in the plot and has no real connection to the mystical whosit in the end, anyway.

>38 Julie_in_the_Library: I could accept the idea of a permanent village, especially if it had a reliable water source, by believing that they didn't live there permanently.

I didn't love the mystical/supernatural component either but I was prepared to suspend disbelief (no less believable than the Ark of the Covenant). Like you I was a bit uncomfortable with the Exotic Foreigners (though it wasn't quite as bad as Sex in the City 2).

The film isn't based on any of the Phryne Fisher books and was written by one of the writers of the television series (rather than the author) so the main point of the film wasn't really the mystery but rather putting Phryne is exotic locales.

In the 'extras' Essie Davis describes Phryne as a 'superhero' and I think it helps to think of her like that (i.e. larger than life).

>39 rhian_of_oz: I'm completely good with Phryne being a larger-than-life superhero. The train scene was good fun, despite being entirely implausible, and the same with the prison-rescue, setting aside. The stuff that bothered me wasn't any of the silly action-adventure stuff - it was more the culturally insensitive stuff.

I think probably different things bother different people to different degrees. For me, the Mystical Bedouin thing was a bigger stumbling point than it was for you, but that's down to us being different people more than anything objective. This stuff gets under my skin, but that doesn't mean it has to get under everyone's. And having been to Israel and visited with a Bedouin group probably didn't help with my suspension of disbelief, either. :-)

I think it really stuck out to me in comparison to the show, which presented much more accurate and well-researched depictions of minority communities. I was thrilled with Raisins and Almonds, from season one. It not only acknowledged the existence of Jews, but also portrayed the community pretty accurately, without the antisemitic tropes that so often appear in fiction, and without the uncomfortable exoticism of the movie's portrayal of the Bedouin.

I've never actually watched any of the Indiana Jones movies - a huge gap in my pop culture viewing, I know, and I do plan to get around to it eventually ;-) - but I imagine I'm not going to be thrilled with the Ark of the Covenant thing either, especially given that that one is based (incredibly loosely, I suspect) on the traditions and history of my own people, to boot. It's not about whether it's plausible - it's about whether it's respectful.

(Also, I think they undid a lot of Phryne's character growth from the show to manufacture the tension and conflict between her and Jack. A lot of the stuff that comes between them in the movie is stuff they'd dealt with over three seasons of the show. It all felt very forced when viewed in light of their interactions in the season 3 finale. But Your Mileage May Vary, as they say :-) )

All of that said, I really enjoyed all of the campy action-adventure and shenanigans. I thought that over all, the movie was fun. But I can't say it was good.

>40 Julie_in_the_Library: definitely nothing respectful in Indiana Jones : ) (sexist - check, making clowns of all non-Americans - check, profoundly unscientific - check, implausible - check, wanton disrespect of human life - check.) The religious component is taken about as seriously as any action plot device. Definitely not respectful. But hopefully the viewer isn’t thinking of that. The movies do still bring up wonderful childhood nostalgia and the imaginative stuff it inspired.

>40 Julie_in_the_Library: >41 dchaikin: When my son the archaeologist was in graduate school, his friends used to call him "Illinois Corey" or "Illinois Pursell". (He went to graduate school in Illinois, and teaches the field school at Cahokia Mounds, which is also in Illinois, every year for Washington University.)

>41 dchaikin: my reaction to the movies was that they were too noisey.

>42 sallypursell: that’s cute!

>43 dianeham: : ) all i can think of is the John Williams music.

>35 rhian_of_oz: I clicked the link to The Memory Police and was intrigued. Did you read it for your book club? Did you like it?

>45 labfs39: Yes I read it for book club (though I already owned it before it was chosen as our book).

I liked it very much though the opinion at book club was divided. What I found particularly interesting is it struck multiple different chords with different people depending on their life experience.

It's not a comfortable book though, but definitely worth reading I think.

>45 labfs39: >46 rhian_of_oz:

That was one of my favorite novels last year. :)

The Seven by Peter Newman

This is the last book in the Vagrant Trilogy which could be described as post-apocalyptic fantasy.

In this instalment Vesper (our heroine from the previous book) has grown up and is trying to lead disparate factions to peace when, after a millennium of silence, the Seven awake. And they are NOT happy.

I had a three year gap between reading book two and this one which I think impacted my response. I barely remembered the main characters let alone the supporting cast and had only a vague recollection of the previous book, so there's quite likely things I missed. Despite this it was still an engaging read. It's a typical "quest" story I suppose - where small groups encounter various trials and tribulations, they come together more or less intact, there's a massive battle, and everyone lives happily ever after. Kind of.

This series has some interesting ideas in it, and while it's a pretty good example of the genre it's not the best.

>48 rhian_of_oz: Oh, dear, this begs the question, What is the Best? in your opinion, of course.

>49 sallypursell: Certainly the best of recent times would be N K Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy.

>49 sallypursell:, >50 rhian_of_oz: I agree with your assessment Rhian. I have only read the first in the Broken Earth series, but Jemisin is an excellent and influential writer.

I am excited by the ways authors of color are using myths and models of societies other than Greek/Roman & Arthurian myths and feudal societies to develop fantasy in new ways.

I hope Rebecca Roanhorse's new series will also be influential; she's made a good start with Black Sun, and I'm curious to see how she continues to develop her characters and the various cultures she's creating.

And though I haven't managed to finish it yet, must mention Marlon James' Black Leopard, Red Wolf. (Though he's not a fantasy author, this book is.)

Having said that, I am a fan of Ursula LeGuin, and her Earthsea series, starting with A wizard of Earthsea, is a favorite of mine. I'm also awed by Robin Hobb's world building, and enjoy her characters and stories in the world of the Farseers, Rain Wilds, Liveships, and Elderlings.

There is a wealth of material to discover in the fantasy genre, post-apocalyptic or not!

ETA touchstones not working, alas.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Mahit is summoned to Teixcalaan as the new Lsel ambassador to the Empire. When she arrives she discovers that her predecessor was murdered. She needs to navigate an alien culture she thought she knew, without the "inside knowledge" she expected to have, against a backdrop of political instability. While trying to solve a murder and avoid being killed herself. Oh and also trying to avoid Lsel being "absorbed" into the Empire.

This is an ambitious work with a lot of world-building going on, which is expected as it is the first in a series (or at a minimum a duology). It's fundamentally a palace intrigue/chase story with our heroine and her trusty side-kicks dodging various assassination attempts and other obstacles.

There are some inconsistencies that you need to overlook and convenient occurrences that you need to accept rather than question - in other words you need to be prepared to go along for the ride without thinking too deeply.

I read this for bookclub and the general opinion was primarily positive. I will read the sequel though I won't rush to get it and will borrow it from the library.

>50 rhian_of_oz: That would be a fine entry, and I agree with you. I am also fond of Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive, with the most awesome world building, and The KingKiller Chronicles starting with The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. An author I love is K. J. Parker, and I think his Engineer trilogy is very fine, especially the first volume, but I don't know when that was published. It might not be so recent. His Scavenger Trilogy is good, too, playing with the characteristics of a god. There is also The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Stephen Erickson

>51 markon: >53 sallypursell:
I don't read as much fantasy any more though I am also waiting (hopefully not futilely!) for The Doors of Stone. Another couple of post-apocalyptic series I thought of are by an Australian author Sean Williams - The Books of the Change and The Books of the Cataclysm. The earliest is 20 years old and the most recent 15 so I'm not sure how easily available they are. I'm also a different reader now and I wonder if I would like them as much as I did originally.

>54 rhian_of_oz: Ooh, I'm slavering. I never heard of the last few.

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Esme's father is one of a team of lexicographers working on the initial edition of the Oxford English Dictionary so she grows up surrounded by words. But as she gets older and goes out in to the world for herself she discovers that actually, the OED is not the be all and end all of the English language.

I have never before truly considered the work that would've gone into the OED (or any dictionary really) around "gathering" words and then verifying them, so it was interesting to see that process. Who wouldn't love to work in the Scriptorium!

I liked Esme (our narrator) who was mostly sympathetic but occasionally not and thus felt authentic. I recognise that her life is atypical for a girl/woman of her time and social class, and that this allowed her access to a broader range of interactions than she would otherwise have had. And it is these interactions that show her the limitations of the OED in relation to class and gender.

This isn't a scholarly book though - it is about Esme and reflects her experiences as a girl/woman growing up at the beginning of the 20th century. She makes friends, she falls in love, and has other encounters and adventures, all against the backdrop of the OED.

I liked this very much and will happily read future work from Ms Williams.

>56 rhian_of_oz: If you enjoyed reading about the creation of the OED, you might enjoy The Professor and the Madman. It's about the volunteer who contributed the most words to the dictionary, all from his cell in an insane asylum. It might sound like fiction, but it's not. Very readable nonfiction by Simon Winchester.

>57 labfs39: I have had this on my TBR for a couple of years so I think it's time it came to the top of the pile!

>37 rhian_of_oz: Your comments about the Phryne Fisher movie made me chuckle, Rhian. I’ve only read the first two books thus far, so I’m going to wait before watching the TV series or the movie. I will give them a go eventually.

>59 NanaCC: I think you can read the books after/while watching the TV series (I can't remember how closely the series follows the books) because it is nice to have the actors faces in your head while reading. But I think waiting until you're a few more books in is a good plan.

Just make sure you watch the TV series before the movie :-D.

Faithless in Death by J D Robb

This the 52nd book in the In Death series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke.

The comfort in reading a long series is that you know what you're going to get - and sometimes comfort is what you want in a book.

Sculptor Ariel is found dead in an apparent crime-of-passion, but it turns out to much more convoluted than that. Along the way we go down false trails, but Eve and the gang get the baddies in the end.

A pretty solid addition to the series.

The Dictionary of Lost Words is one I have on my wish list.

>61 rhian_of_oz: I haven’t read anything by JD Robb, Rhian. Your comments make me think I should add this series to my list.

>56 rhian_of_oz: There's also a new book by Eley Williams, The Liar's Dictionary, which is about lexicographers—Victorian and modern-day, and a mystery. I heard her talking about it on the First Draft podcast and it sounds like a lot of fun if you like lexicographical fiction. Don't know if she's any relation to Pip Williams, though.

The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman

This is the 35th in the Alex Delaware series. I had a slight mind-blow when I realised I've been reading this series for 30 years.

In this instalment Milo calls Alex to a scene where four people have been found dead in a limo. From the start the team thinks the scene has been staged and so it proves to be, though they could never have imagined just how weird things were going to get.

As always for this series the who/why dunnit is not straightforward and there's a little bit of suspension of disbelief required. Or rather an extension in belief on the depravity of humans.

Strange to call these comfort reads given the subject matter, but that's what this series is for me. I was pleased to see the next book in the series is out, though like the last few I'll borrow it from the library rather than parting with my hard-earned.

>64 lisapeet: Ooh sounds interesting! Onto the wishlist it goes.

All That Remains by Sue Black

Professor Black is a professor of anatomy and forensic anthropology who takes us through the various ways in which her expertise is utilised.

This was quite interesting though somehow the ending was a bit ... underwhelming (admittedly I wasn't feeling well when I read it which may have influenced my opinion).

My favourite bits were when Professor Black described how forensic scientists use what they know about anatomy and humans to try and identify remains. Especially the various components of biological identity.

I was less interested in her personal philosophy and her 'backstory', though if you knew who she was before reading this book you may be more interested.

My overall impression is that this was okay. The good bits were pretty good but the rest was 'meh'.

Hideaway by Nora Roberts

Ms Roberts' recent suspenseful romances follow a sort of formula - one (or both) of the romantic leads experience some sort of trauma in their early life, we see glimpses of their lives as they grow up where the trauma has some sort of impact (either positive or negative), and then we come to the present day where the romantic leads meet and their romance develops against the backdrop of someone from the past (associated with the original traumatic event) trying to kill them.

In this book Caitlyn (Cate) Sullivan is nine years old and attending a private memorial for her great-grandfather when she is kidnapped. She isn't killed (otherwise it would be a short story) and as she grows up the kidnappers keep impacting on her life (it's a bit hard to say how without giving away who one of the culprits is). In the present Cate is a voice actor who moves in with her grandparents to help keep an eye on her grandfather which is where she re-meets rancher Dillon. They fall in love, Cate is nearly killed, then they both live happily ever after (I know technically this is a spoiler but this a romance story so HEA shouldn't be a surprise).

If you like Nora Roberts then you'll like this one. She has a number of themes she uses in her writing that appear here - Irish family, ranching, artists. Her good characters are likeable and her villains aren't - not much nuance there.

This isn't 'hardcore' romance - about half the book is the lead up to the present - but ultimately it is about the relationship between Cate and Dillon. It was an easy Saturday-afternoon-on-the-couch read.

>65 rhian_of_oz: The only series I’ve stayed with that long is the Sharon McCone books by Marcia Muller.

>65 rhian_of_oz:, >69 dianeham: Interesting. I made it through book 24 of Sue Grafton's alphabet series, and was astonished to learn that Faye Kellerman's most recent Decker/Lazarus book is her 26th. Most series don't stay good-enough-to-read that long for me. (I haven't counted how many Sarah Paretsky has out.)

>67 rhian_of_oz: Shame - I really enjoyed All That Remains. Horses for courses! I must admit I like a back story as I enjoy the social side of science and history, but I get that others just want to get to the science.

Friday Barnes No Escape by R A Spratt

After book number 8 I thought the series had come to an end, so I was delighted when I found out there was a new addition.

Friday is now 15 and when we meet her again she is being released from prison. On her return to Highcrest Academy she is very alone - or mostly except her best friend Mel is sticking fast - and vowing never to solve a mystery ever again.

A school trip to Italy results in a reunion with Ian (her arch-nemesis, ex-boyfriend, best frenemy) and shenanigans and adventures ensue.

This series is aimed at tweens but even though I am ::cough:: a lot older than that, I still think they're lots of fun.

>72 rhian_of_oz: I’ve been finding a lot of new (ish) children literature enjoyable as well. I’d need to look this series up.

>73 AnnieMod: I hope you find them and enjoy them.

The Collapsing Empire, The Consuming Fire, and The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

Set many millennia in the future, this trilogy is set in the Interdependency which is an empire of star systems connected by 'The Flow'. A scientist at the ass-end of the empire determines that The Flow is collapsing which would mean death and disaster for everyone. Someone must tell the Emperox!

Cardenia has just become Emperox on the death of her father. As she spent most of her life as the spare rather than the heir she is seemingly in over her head. And then someone tries to assassinate her.

This is what I would call space soap opera. Don't get me wrong, Mr Scalzi has built an interesting universe but the characters are pretty much heroes or villains, and the overall story is mostly about how they plot and counter-plot against each other.

I enjoyed this very much - barracking for the heroes and cheering when the villains were thwarted. The following by the publisher describes it nicely "Snappy dialogue, dynamic action sequences, and political skullduggery". This doesn't mention romance but there's some of that as well.

I am a fan of John Scalzi and have most of his novels, so I think if you are also a fan you will like this trilogy. I think his writing is quite accessible so if you like sci-fi but not 'hard' sci-fi then this might be for you. Be aware there is a main character who swears A LOT. I thought she was amusing but I can see how she could be considered obnoxious and unlikeable.

>75 rhian_of_oz: I quite enjoyed that trilogy, as well.

>76 karspeak: I just discovered that the trilogy is a Hugo finalist for best series. So we're clearly not the only ones who enjoyed it :-).

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Yetu is the historian/memory keeper for her people (the wajinru), water dwellers descended from African slaves thrown overboard during transport. During the annual Remberance Yetu runs away, leaving the rest of the wajinru trapped in the memories of their ancestors.

From the beginning Yetu read like a whiny teenager (despite being an adult) and that first impression didn't improve. Most of this book felt like angsty YA - unnecessary melodrama and should I/shouldn't I. I only finished it because I was reading it for bookclub.

One of the things I love about bookclub is the different perspectives everyone brings, which in this case left me more sympathetic to Yetu than when I started. However I still didn't have a positive view of the book at the end. I said at the time that this book suffered greatly in comparison to Wolf Hall (which I was reading at the same time) because Hilary Mantel's writing is sublime and this writing was ... not.

I have zero desire to read anything else by this author - though it seems this was some of multi-multi-person collaboration (I couldn't bring myself to read the Afterword at the time and I still can't) - or listen to the associated music.

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child

I was worried when I saw this was a collaboration - I thought it was going to be a case of someone new taking on a beloved character and wrecking it. Thankfully my fears weren't realised.

In this latest instalment Reacher prevents a man being kidnapped and thus (once again) gets involved in unravelling what's going on and vanquishing the bad guys.

You know more-or-less what you're going to get with a Reacher story and this one is no different. I believe this far in (#25) these books are for fans.

P.S. When reading other reviews I discovered that Lee is retiring and handing over Reacher to his brother Andrew. Some reviewers believed Reacher is different in this novel but I must admit I don't read them that deeply!

We've been on holiday so (as usual) I haven't read as much as normal. I have, however, managed to *purchase* more than usual - many of the titles being CR BBs.

>80 rhian_of_oz: it’s blurry. I can’t read the titles.

>81 dianeham: Rats. Here they are in human-readable form.

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Innocents by Michael Crummey
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
Here Is The Beehive by Sarah Crossan

>82 rhian_of_oz: that’s quite a haul. Now I want to go to a bookstore.

>78 rhian_of_oz: I'm not very attracted to this as you paint it, but I'm so curious! How did people who fell into the ocean survive to have children? How did they get together into a group?

>84 sallypursell: Sally, I think of this as fantasy, and that is how the infants survive. No mechanism is described. But their collective memories are so painful that one person is the memory keeper and holds all the memories except for a once a year event when she releases them in a ritual remembering. Here is a description from a review in Locus magazine.

The idea of a utopian under­water society built by the water-breathing de­scendants of pregnant slaves thrown overboard from slave ships was first conceived by a Detroit electro-pop duo called Drexciya, then developed into a Hugo Award-nominated song for NPR’s This American Life by the rap group clipping. (whose members are listed as collaborators on the novel; as of this writing, the song is available online). This, in turn, was further elaborated by Solomon into this hauntingly lyrical fantasia. Part furious indictment and part ecological fable, The Deep raises provocative questions about the weight of history, the nature of utopia, and the complex role of memory as both a bless­ing and a curse.

I liked it better than Rhian did, but I can see her interpretation. I think my appreciation of the novel would be enhanced by discussion.

>84 sallypursell:, >85 markon:

Ardene is correct - the 'how' of their survival is not explained, however there is a section that describes how the group is initially formed.

There are plenty of positive reviews of this so I think many people liked it more than me :-). Certainly the general view at bookclub was positive.

I've been absent on the threads awhile, just stopping by to say hello.

>87 markon: Yes I've been MIA as well and am slowly catching up. Thanks for stopping by.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Zachary is at university during the winter break when he borrows a book called Sweet Sorrows. As he reads he is shaken to discover he is in the book. He sets out to find out more about this mysterious book and ends up on a fantastical journey.

This novel is structured with some chapters being told in "real time" (i.e. about Zachary and other characters that come along) and others being from 'Sweet Sorrows' and other books encountered along the way.

I liked this a lot. It's convoluted and sometimes surreal, but I loved the almost dreamlike feel of it. Other descriptions from various reviews that capture this book for me are whimsical, ethereal, magical, beautiful, mystifying, and entrancing.

I think if you liked The Night Circus you will like this. I will definitely read the next offering from this author though I shan't be holding my breath.

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

In a future where cloning is legal but strictly regulated, all six of the crew of the colony ship Dormire "wake up" in new clone bodies. Their previous selves were all murdered and their last memories are from the beginning of the journey 25 years earlier. Oh, and they're all criminals.

The "present day" chapters involved in solving the mystery are interspersed with the back stories of each of the crew so we find out what they did in their past lives that led them to the Dormire. I thought the world-building was good, with the book exploring the implications of being essentially immortal.

This is a scifi 'locked room' mystery and is lots of fun. It was a BB from Karen (karspeak) that I'm very glad hit the target.

Nice book haul! Sounds like The Mirror and the Light has become a bit of a chore?

>91 AlisonY: No, not a chore. It's very, hmm, introspective so while it is still a good read, there's not the impetus to keep reading to see what happens next that you get with a more action-oriented book. I do also wonder whether I'm subconsciously delaying getting to the end :-).

The Children of Men by P D James

On 1 January 2021 Theo Faron starts keeping a diary, with his first entry describing the death of the last human being born on earth.

Theo's Britain is a dictatorship run by his cousin Xan, where gangs roam the countryside terrorising travellers. Theo is approached by a rebel group to try and influence his cousin to make changes, and Theo needs to decide whether he wants to get involved. Theo discovers something about the group that makes his involvement inevitable.

I didn't particularly like this. Overall the tone was grim (understandable I suppose given the topic) and felt a lot like 1984 (which I also didn't like). Theo makes as convincing a revolutionary as Winston Smith. Despite being written in 1992 it feels more old-fashioned than that. Theo is also not particularly likeable or interesting.

I read the whole thing because I wanted to know what happened. The ending was good (unexpected but consistent) but wasn't worth the time and effort to get there.

This was a suggestion by Ardene (markon) in response to my reading of The Quiet at the End of the World. They have a similar premise (the human race has become infertile) but very different moods/tones.

While I wouldn't recommend it, I think if you liked 1984 then you would probably like this.

>92 rhian_of_oz: I wonder if you're on the slow section. The last third definitely had me turning the pages at speed.

>93 rhian_of_oz: Sorry you didn't enjoy this one more. I had not remembered that Theo's diary started in 2021, so that was interesting to me.

>95 markon: It was a bit startling to see it was set this year :-). It was interesting to see the contrast between two books that are ostensibly about the same thing. It seems that I prefer my dystopias to be a bit more positive :-).

An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire

Chris Rogers is struggling in the aftermath of the brutual murder of her beloved younger sister Bella. May Norman is a journalist from "the city" who is looking for her big break and thinks Bella's story will provide it.

This is described in the blurb as a 'psychological thriller' which I don't think is at all accurate. A much better description is "a thorough examination of the impact of a horrific violent crime against a young Australian woman". The point of this story is not the investigation into 'whodunnit'.

This is not a comfortable read. Chris is an incredible character - I'm ashamed to say I judged her in the beginning based on her self-described appearance and behaviour - someone who lives her life the way she wants and doesn't always make good choices. I was not as keen on May - I don't think her personal story really added anything - but I recognise the necessity of her to the story.

I would recommend this to anyone who thought The Natural Way of Things was excellent. I will be tracking down Ms Maguire's other work.