Author Topic: My latest read is...  (Read 186473 times)

Hannah Adams

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #90 on: April 04, 2020, 03:59:01 pm »
I finished Catherine Maiorisi's A MATTER OF BLOOD a couple days ago and just got around to doing up my review of it over on Goodreads. I really liked it overall. Here's what I wrote about the book (I hope it does it justice) - REVIEW LINK

I haven't read this but the title reminded me, I watched the first season of a British TV series called BLOOD. I have mixed feelings about it but will probably watch season two (so far there are only two seasons). Anybody else watch this?

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #91 on: April 04, 2020, 08:40:09 pm »
I haven't read this but the title reminded me, I watched the first season of a British TV series called BLOOD. I have mixed feelings about it but will probably watch season two (so far there are only two seasons). Anybody else watch this?

I haven't. The last British series I checked out was Season 3 of Agatha Raisin and that's because AcornTV is free on my cable system right now.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #92 on: April 06, 2020, 03:23:47 pm »
I've been watching THE LOOP, which reminds me of a Twilight Zone/Ray Bradbury mash-up. Sci-Fi and mystery, and the episodes I have watched all had some heartache, too.

 https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/tales-from-the-loop-review-amazon-sci-fi-series-1202222319/

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #93 on: April 07, 2020, 02:41:26 pm »
I finished Leonard Goldberg's THE ART OF DECEPTION today. I'm reviewing it for the magazine so I had to get it read and write my draft review so no spoilers about what I thought here.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #94 on: April 07, 2020, 07:52:30 pm »
I finished Leonard Goldberg's THE ART OF DECEPTION today. I'm reviewing it for the magazine so I had to get it read and write my draft review so no spoilers about what I thought here.

I'm reading a short story collection by Peter Robinson: NOT SAFE AFTER DARK. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062673890/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I really enjoy short stories, but I get confused about what to call them. Google says: A short story collection is a book of short stories and/or novellas by a single author, as distinguished from an anthology of fiction, which would contain work by several authors (e.g., Les Soirées de Médan). The stories in a collection may or may not share a theme, setting, or characters with one another.

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #95 on: April 07, 2020, 08:53:34 pm »
I can't say that I read many short stories or novellas. However, because Edith Maxwell has been putting out some short stories/novellas in the past few months, I've been picking them up. (I'm a big fan of her work!)

She had a story in the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. There was her short story in the March/April 2020 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Oh and released just today was an anthology with a story from her. The anthology is called THE BEAT OF BLACK WINGS. It's edited by Josh Pachter and each of the stories is inspired by a Joni Mitchell song. I haven't gotten that book yet but I will be adding it as soon as I can.


Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #96 on: April 07, 2020, 10:02:44 pm »
I can't say that I read many short stories or novellas. However, because Edith Maxwell has been putting out some short stories/novellas in the past few months, I've been picking them up. (I'm a big fan of her work!)

She had a story in the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. There was her short story in the March/April 2020 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Oh and released just today was an anthology with a story from her. The anthology is called THE BEAT OF BLACK WINGS. It's edited by Josh Pachter and each of the stories is inspired by a Joni Mitchell song. I haven't gotten that book yet but I will be adding it as soon as I can.

The stories are based on Joni Mitchell songs? Count me in!!!!

I discovered Alfred Hitchcock short story collections as well as AH Mystery Magazine and EQ Mystery Magazine when I was in middle school. I also used to read Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Michael Gilbert and short story collections by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Conan Doyle. I have a collection called CANINE CRIMES by Jeff Marks (of Mystery Scene fame...). If an author I like writes a collection of short stories, I probably have it.

Denise

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #97 on: April 08, 2020, 12:24:35 am »
I haven't. The last British series I checked out was Season 3 of Agatha Raisin and that's because AcornTV is free on my cable system right now.

Me, too! I saw that Acorn was free for a while (I think it may have ended today), so I watched seasons 2 and 3. My favorite episode was The Case of the Curious Curate. Lots of laughs in that one! Wilkes was at his most ridiculous, as he was campaigning for something.  I didn't think I had seen all of season 1, but I wasn't sure, so tonight I watched the last 2 in that season. I had seen them before, but I rewatched them anyway. They seem to have left out whatever happened between Agatha, James, and Charles in Cyprus, as at the end of season 1, Agatha was on her way there, and season 2 started when she got home. I take it that James rejected her (again!), and I'm not sure how Charles ended up there, too, but apparently he 'comforted' her.

I'm back rereading Agatha Christies. I read The Secret of Chimneys, and now I'm reading Thirteen at Dinner.
"Poirot," I said. "I have been thinking."  "An admirable exercise, my friend. Continue it." - Agatha Christie, Peril at End House

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #98 on: April 08, 2020, 01:35:02 am »
I haven't. The last British series I checked out was Season 3 of Agatha Raisin and that's because AcornTV is free on my cable system right now.

Me, too! I saw that Acorn was free for a while (I think it may have ended today), so I watched seasons 2 and 3. My favorite episode was The Case of the Curious Curate. Lots of laughs in that one! Wilkes was at his most ridiculous, as he was campaigning for something.  I didn't think I had seen all of season 1, but I wasn't sure, so tonight I watched the last 2 in that season. I had seen them before, but I rewatched them anyway. They seem to have left out whatever happened between Agatha, James, and Charles in Cyprus, as at the end of season 1, Agatha was on her way there, and season 2 started when she got home. I take it that James rejected her (again!), and I'm not sure how Charles ended up there, too, but apparently he 'comforted' her.

I'm back rereading Agatha Christies. I read The Secret of Chimneys, and now I'm reading Thirteen at Dinner.

I may sneak in a few Agatha Christie re-reads in between all the other books I want to read.

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #99 on: April 08, 2020, 12:34:13 pm »

Me, too! I saw that Acorn was free for a while (I think it may have ended today), so I watched seasons 2 and 3. My favorite episode was The Case of the Curious Curate. Lots of laughs in that one! Wilkes was at his most ridiculous, as he was campaigning for something.  I didn't think I had seen all of season 1, but I wasn't sure, so tonight I watched the last 2 in that season. I had seen them before, but I rewatched them anyway. They seem to have left out whatever happened between Agatha, James, and Charles in Cyprus, as at the end of season 1, Agatha was on her way there, and season 2 started when she got home. I take it that James rejected her (again!), and I'm not sure how Charles ended up there, too, but apparently he 'comforted' her.

I'm sick of imbecilic, idiot and incompetent characters in cozy type mysteries whether they be in books or on TV shows. Wilkes seems to be there for comic relief, but the thing about comic relief is that they are supposed to be funny. He's not. The character is awful and anyone that stupid makes you wonder just how they managed to live so long.

I wish he didn't exist in the TV show (I haven't read the books) because whenever he's on screen I just want to scream.

I'm not positive, but I think the AcornTV free preview is still going on. At least on the Comcast On Demand.

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #100 on: April 10, 2020, 09:37:21 am »
Denise,

As it turns out the AcornTV preview was going on through yesterday (Thursday 4/9) but it ended after that. I saw the first three seasons of Doc Martin at least though.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...AFTER SUNDOWN
« Reply #101 on: April 11, 2020, 01:40:30 am »
We haven't talked much about all the sub-genres of mysteries, but I am a big fan of romantic suspense. I know it's not for everyone, but I've been a fan for decades and there are many romantic suspense authors I follow.

I've been reading Linda Howard's novels since her first books came out. Recently, she has joined with Linda Jones for a series of paranormals and the two of them have co-authored a new hardcover release, AFTER SUNDOWN. I received an advance copy of this book - which was a thrill, since hardcovers take a chunk out of my book budget.

Linda Howard's books often center around disasters - PREY, where a bear hunt turns deadly; BURN, where a lottery winner goes on a charity cruise that isn't all fun and games; UP CLOSE AND DANGEROUS, where surviving a plane crash is the least of the protagonist's problems. In MR. PERFECT, a joke among friends taps into the psyche of a killer.  In THE WOMAN LEFT BEHIND, a tech geek is reassigned as a drone operator with a paramilitary unit, taking her way, way out of her comfort zone.

Anyway, I was intrigued by the premise of AFTER SUNDOWN. The world in this story is upended by a Coronal Mass Ejection (the "corona" in this case refers to the sun and not coronavirus) that has fried electrical grids worldwide, taken out the internet, and left grocery stores empty and government non-existent. Linda Howard writes romantic suspense so, like virtually all of her books, the hero and heroine meet while facing challenges most of us will (hopefully) never have to deal with. She is known for steamy scenes and this book is no exception.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/coronal-mass-ejections

There were several scenes that were so believable I was frightened for the inhabitants of the small town that is struggling to survive without most of the comforts that, even with coronavirus, we take for granted today. I think reading this while in quarantine made it hit me a little harder than it might have if I read it before the current pandemic.

Okay, I admit I'm a little confused after looking up Linda Howard's bio. This is what it says on Amazon: 

"Biography

Linda's first book, the historical romance Guardian Angel, was released in 1994. In the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight, writing as Linda Fallon) in the paranormal category. Most recently she's been involved in joint projects with Linda Howard, and has been rereleasing some of her backlist in ebook format. More information can be found at lindawinsteadjones.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, at www.facebook.com/LindaWinsteadJones and www.facebook.com/LindaHowardLindaJones, and on Twitter @LWJbooks."

So here's why I'm confused - I knew Linda Howard's real name was Linda Howington. I did NOT know Linda Jones and Linda Winstead Jones were pen names of hers. Since AFTER SUNDOWN lists Linda Howard and Linda Jones on the cover, I'm not sure how that works. She co-authored it with herself? I'll have to dig into this.

In the meantime, it goes on my keeper shelf with all my other Linda Howard books.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2020, 01:57:47 am by Becke Davis »

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #102 on: April 11, 2020, 09:53:39 am »
Romantic suspense isn't one of the subgenres I'm likely to read as I'm pretty sure I'm the least romantic person there is.

But then again, most of the people I talk books with aren't fans of serial killer novels whereas I enjoy them so it is always a case of to each their own with no one right preference.

Becke Davis

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #103 on: April 11, 2020, 10:25:04 am »
Romantic suspense isn't one of the subgenres I'm likely to read as I'm pretty sure I'm the least romantic person there is.

But then again, most of the people I talk books with aren't fans of serial killer novels whereas I enjoy them so it is always a case of to each their own with no one right preference.

I agree. My mom and dad were fans of Sax Rohmer and there were authors my mom liked that I didn't. On the other hand, they weren't into romantic suspense but we all loved Agatha Christie. And my daughter likes scarier books than I do.  It would be boring if we all read the same books!

JRob

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Re: My latest read is...
« Reply #104 on: April 15, 2020, 09:10:59 pm »
I just finished reading an advance copy of the debut thriller from Robyn Gigl called BY WAY OF SORROW. I'm going to be submitting a review to the magazine so I won't say anything more here for now.