APRIL READS

[rapa]

Charles Lamb born 2/10/1775, died 7/27/1834 said;
"Here cometh April again, and as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever."
Could he have been prophetic? Personally, I can't wait until the end of November!

I'm reading LIsa Gardner's latest, FIND HER. It's the second book I've read lately with kidnapped girls kept in pine boxes. Glad I'm not claustrophobic!
Have picked up THE WIDOW by Fiona Barton and hope to start it soon.

What are you reading?

[Mandy Muffin]

I'm starting off with a classic, "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton. I enjoyed "The Age of Innocence" so much a couple of months back, that I coupled it with this NYC turn of the century classic.  I got a little crazy this morning as I downloaded my free Amazon Prime book for the month and picked some weird book called "The Wall of Winnipeg and Me" which is love story involving football (Canadian, I guess). Eclectic means eclectic. At first I thought Donald Trump was building one the northern border.

[Mandy Muffin]

"The Wall of Winnipeg and Me" was cute.  A Canadian born and educated defensive tackle in the NFL marries his female assistant to escape deportation, as a pulled Achilles is endangering his career.  At 6' 4" and 295 he is a human wall, hence his nickname. But he also a dull fellow, not really interested in women or much else but his career.  The marriage is of convenience only.  Well, you know what happens, but it's a fun read.  It's the stuff chick flicks and romance novel are made of. It fairly tame compared to some of the stuff that has been coming out in this genre.  Remember 50 Shades?  The narrator is also an aspiring writer and lots of details of the trade are included in the narrative.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Wall-Winnipeg-Mariana-Zapata-ebook/dp/B01... Unfortunately, there's not a lot of information about Winnipeg as I assume the writer has never been there being a Texas gal. Who would want to go to Winnipeg, especially in winter?

[Carolyn Tewell]

I'm listening to short story collection: Mystery Writers: VENGEANCE edited by Lee Child and THE BEAT GOES ON by Ian Rankin ...both fun!

Started a 2007 John Sanford with Virgel Flowers as the main character. DARK OF THE MOON.

Next up is Harlan Coban's latest FOOL ME ONCE.

FInished The Outlander recommended by Book Bites...well, it "bit" as slogged through it half way then skipped to last 4 chapters! What a struggle. Heroine murders her husband and then goes on the run in Canada back in 1870 or something. Well, she did learn to sew fur pelts and find a few things to eat in the woods but....sort of "pretending" to be a survivalist. Porcupine stew? Yummy...NOT!

Be back for more fun and frolic later this week after I finish a few books and give a review.

[grammyk]

I just finished FOOL ME ONCE - really liked it, hope you do too!

[Lip Service]

Finished the spy novel "Red Sparrow" by Jason Matthews, an enjoyable read, a cat and mouse similar to John LeCarre updated to twenty first century 

No wonder there are many realistic details that jumps at you. The author worked in the CIA for thirty three years so was able to portray it right (one assumes). An odd aspect of the book: the author is very fond of gourmet food and obviously knows his way in the kitchen. Each chapter is followed by a recipe for a dish that was mentioned in that chapter and there are twenty chapters. Many of these recipes are quite obscure such as pasta a la bottarga

[Ioruach]

I just finished The First Hostage by Joel Rosenberg. It is a hard to put down thriller where the POTUS (love those abbreviations) is taken hostage by ISIS. Pretty bloody, with people getting killed all over the place, but it is really hard to put down.

[rapa]

Loruach, if I could read it knowing it's fiction, not prophetic might try itl Need something peaceful right now.. Any suggestions???

[Ioruach]

That was pretty much my thought after finishing it, rapa. I will read the author again but not right away. Would love to find something like The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, A Man Called Ove or a novel by Kent Haruf. I do have All the Light We Cannot See on hold at the library, but there is a few ahead of me. Did you read that one? I remember I was about to start it just when Eddie died, which put an end to my reading for a while. But it has become a staple on the N. Y. Times best seller list. It's morning now, but I'm going to take a walk over to the library in a couple hours and hope to find something.

[rapa]

Loruach, hopefully you'll like ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE more than I did. For some reason it left me "Wanting!" I really think you'd enjoy Mitch Albom's THE MAGIC STRINGS OF FRANKIE PRESTO.

[Ioruach]

I just put it on hold, rapa. I am number 8 and the library has 3 copies. At the library today I checked out Mary Coin by Marisa Silver and something called Bucky F*cking Dent by David Duchovny. (Yes, that is literally the title.) And also, yes, that very David Duchovny, the actor. Mary Coin has something to do with the story behind the famous photograph called Migrant Mother that I am sure you are familiar with. Her face is shown on the cover of the book.

We will see.

[Mandy Muffin]

Helen MacInnes redux: I remember reading most of her titles 40-50 years ago. But I just ran across a republication of a classic spy tale that takes place in Poland during WWII that has been retitled "While we still Live."  Great read so far, as it like visiting a long lost friend.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_MacInnes

[Mandy Muffin]

Starting on a two book series by Craig S. Whitmore: "The Last Roar," a novel about the War of 1812 and a "A Bit of Colored Ribbon," a novel of the Civil War.  A former National Park Ranger tells his version of history, mostly centered in Ohio, about the critical times that made our nation what it is today.  Great read so far. The Revolution did not win America's independence.  It merely separated us from Britain. The War of 1812 did that.