WHAT ARE YOU READING? ~ SEPTEMBER 2017 - Page 23

smoky22 · ‎05-30-2010

@Judaline I think you will like the 2nd Andy Carpenter even better than the first. And I know @dawg lover would not steer us wrong about the rest of the series.

Lilysmom · ‎03-09-2010

@smoky22 wrote:
@Lilysmom I was wondering if you had finished the book yet. I'm looking forward to your review. As a side note, I absolutely love the pictures of your property. I can see you would have a lot of cleanup chores. And it's obvious how much love you put into it.

*************SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS**************

If you haven't read the book, pls don't read my review until you are finished because I may reveal some plot.

@smoky22, it was a Fall day of heavy rain, a crazy busy week and not much else was required to permit myself an afternoon off to finish GLASS HOUSES by Louise Penny.

I liked this one quite a bit. What I liked was that Penny deals with issues that are top of mind in our society. The fentanyl drug crisis is woven in this story. Two seemingly unrelated storylines fuse at the end of the book to hone in on the same societal issue.

I loved the sinister feel of the Cobrador who haunts the conscience of the guilty and the effect it has on the community. Her character development is good in this book. Not too many crazy duck stories.

I thought her transition between the trial and the actual events that that precede it were very well done. I was never left wondering which view of events I was in.

I admit I love a good ending and this was one of those. Admittedly, it was only one battle in a huge war but I felt it was an important one which is what feel good endings are all about.

I give this one a 4 out of 5. The rationale for this rating may be a bit unfair. My favorite book was The Brutal Telling. I was completely blown away by that one. The character development was really rich. For me, that's the one to beat.

Doesn't she do a great job exploring the conscience?

I really enjoyed this one. Hoping others post their thoughts. LM

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

@dawg lover wrote:
@Judaline wrote:
I'm reading the first Andy Carpenter novel. Does the dog go with him as he solves crimes? Because I think so far they've only mentioned her-does she get more involved? That's what I was hoping for?
@Judaline, Andy's dog Tara, as well as other dogs, features in all his books in the series, and she will never die, he has promised. (I know that is very important to you!) They are great books and I think the series gets better as it goes along. He has a wonderful non-fiction book called "DOGTRIPPING" that I enjoyed as well. I like his series books better than his stand-alone thrillers.

I am another fan of the Andy Carpenter books. Haven't read any in awhile. Will have to see if I missed any.

dawg lover · ‎03-15-2010

@smoky22 wrote:

@Judaline I think you will like the 2nd Andy Carpenter even better than the first. And I know @dawg lover would not steer us wrong about the rest of the series.

Thank you, @smoky22 ! I enjoy all the humor in the books. They are so funny. I've always thought they were very similar to Robert Crais' books.

dawg lover · ‎03-15-2010

I read Stephen Colbert's short, but funny book, "MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS" and Katy Tur's interesting non-fiction book, "UNBELIEVABLE", about her experience as a reporter in the 2016 presidential campaign. I am currently reading Charlaine Harris' new Aurora Teagarden cozy mystery, "SLEEP LIKE A BABY", to be followed by Leslie Meier's new Lucy Stone cozy mystery, "TURKEY TROT MURDER." After getting all these short books out of the way, I will finally have time to devote to the longer "MAGPIE MYSTERY" by Anthony Horowitz.

kitty45 · ‎11-05-2011

Currently reading Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley. It looks like it's going to be a tear jerker..

Colinka · ‎10-15-2011

"Magpie Murders" by Anthony Horowitz. Can't put it down. English murder mystery within a mystery. Very unique format. You'll like it. Oodles of five star reviews on Goodreads.

alliswell · ‎07-12-2012

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir – by Alexandria Marzano-Lenevich

I just started reading this excellent book, a true story. Here's a brief synopsis from the publisher:

Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, she is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley’s face flashes on the screen as she reviews old tapes―the moment she hears him speak of his crimes -- she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, she digs deeper and deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.

Crime, even the darkest and most unsayable acts, can happen to any one of us. As Alexandria pores over the facts of the murder, she finds herself thrust into the complicated narrative of Ricky’s childhood. And by examining the details of Ricky’s case, she is forced to face her own story, to unearth long-buried family secrets, and reckon with a past that colors her view of Ricky's crime.

But another surprise awaits: She wasn’t the only one who saw her life in Ricky’s.

An intellectual and emotional thriller that is also a different kind of murder mystery, THE FACT OF A BODY is a book not only about how the story of one crime was constructed -- but about how we grapple with our own personal histories. Along the way it tackles questions about the nature of forgiveness, and if a single narrative can ever really contain something as definitive as the truth.

This groundbreaking, heart-stopping work, ten years in the making, shows how the law is more personal than we would like to believe -- and the truth more complicated, and powerful, than we could ever imagine.

Judaline · ‎03-10-2010

@Colinka wrote:
"Magpie Murders" by Anthony Horowitz. Can't put it down. English murder mystery within a mystery. Very unique format. You'll like it. Oodles of five star reviews on Goodreads.

I enjoyed it. Heard the detective is going to be a PBS series, but still waiting.

smoky22 · ‎05-30-2010

@dawg lover My library just obtained Unbelievable by Katy Tur (it was a book I recommended they get). I'm on hold for it now (#29 on 8 copies). Not too bad.

I hope you enjoy Magpie Murders.

And my library finally came through on Alexander McCall Smith. I'm now reading A Distant View of Everything and have My Italian Bulldozer waiting in the wings.