It's Monday! What am I reading?

 

How soon Monday rolls around! I feel like I just wrote this weekly segment and now I'm writing it again.  First, my thanks to Sheila at  book journey who should be an example to us all. How she gets so much done in a day is beyond me!

So, last week I finally put aside the Man Booker Prize longlist novels.  I finished all but one -- The Stars in the Bright Sky, by Alan Warner, which did not arrive in time to complete. After forking out the money for this book once, I didn't want to get another.  There will be a seller on Amazon getting a not-so-nice bit of feedback on this one.  But that's okay.  The last three I read were

In a Strange Room, by Damon Galgut, The Finkler Question, by Howard Jacobson, and The Betrayal, by Helen Dunmore, all reviewed here.  As a side note, if anyone wants my copy of The Betrayal, the first person to leave a comment here about it can have it.  And I don't care where you live.

Then I finished a book called Frozen Moment by a new (well, new to me) Scandinavian crime fiction author,  Camilla Ceder.  It's quite good, and I was amazed to find it was her first novel.   I haven't done the review yet but it will show up over at the Crime Segments part of my blog this week.  I had to laugh -- on the back cover of my book was written "Move Over, Wallander." And speaking of Wallander, he's back on Masterpiece Theater starting this coming Sunday.  I've been trying to get Larry to read the Wallander novels, but he's a literary xenophobe, preferring the American crime writers because (and I quote) "they don't have accents."  I made him promise to try one Henning Mankell novel if he likes what he sees on Masterpiece on Sunday. 

There was a winner in the international Room giveaway last week, and I also wrote a small piece for September's ongoing Agatha Christie Blog Tour, hosted by Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise. 

Currently I'm finishing Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann. My book group is discussing this tomorrow and I'm not quite done yet. 

This week the month ends and we roll over into October, so I'll be switching gears once again.  I'm planning to do a month of reading that focuses on independent publishers, featuring mainly books by Unbridled Books (since I seem to have amassed quite a few here recently), starting with one of their most recent books called Panopticon, by David Bajo, and moving on to A Geography of Secrets, by Frederick Reuss over the course of this week.  As the month goes on, I'll add other indie press books into the mix as well. 

So that's it.  Have a lovely reading week!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It's already Monday? Where did the week go? For me most of it was spent flat -- I pulled my back yet again so I laid on a heating pad much of the time.  Oh well -- it was a good way to increase my reading time, if I look on the bright side!  Sheila of Book Journey hosts this very popular part of my reading week -- thank you!

Last week I finished the last three books on the Booker Prize shortlist (two of which I've not reviewed yet, but will get to this week):

The Long Song, by Andrea Levy (which I enjoyed immensely and can definitely recommend)
In A Strange Room, by Damon Galgut (which I also enjoyed very much)
The Finkler Question, by Howard Jacobson (which was good, maybe not my favorite of the bunch)

This week I'm planning to finish
Betrayal, by Helen Dunmore -- historical fiction set during Stalin's time in the USSR
and if it gets here on time,
The Stars in the Bright Sky, by Alan Warner.  If it doesn't arrive by the time I finish Betrayal, then we'll call it a Booker Dozen and move on.  And there's a good chance this will happen.

Sadly, by the time I went to Book Depository to pick up Warner's book, they were sold out and so I had to rely on Amazon for a used copy from the UK.  Then to my abject horror, I was looking over my order details a few days after I ordered it, and realized that I had bought it from a seller who never came through with a book I'd ordered a few months ago, but in the meantime had changed their seller name! I should have done my Nancy Drew investigation before ordering the book, but I obviously wasn't thinking.

so, if the Warner book doesn't arrive, then this week I'll be starting a new book called Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End, by Leif G.W. Persson, a Swedish crime novel that's the first of three in a series.  And I'm planning to digest Tony Blair's autobiography A Journey: My Political Life a little at a time as well. 

Next week I think just some well-deserved crime fiction as my reward for the last 2 months.  I have a new one coming from Book Depository called Frozen Moment by Camille Ceder which looks appealing.


AND....I'm giving away a copy of Emma Donoghue's Room -- international entries are welcome!  Don't miss it.

that's it...I'm going to have an awesome reading week!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

  It's definitely Monday, so it's time to once again play "What am I reading?" Thanks to my host, Sheila at Bookjourney, for taking this on and doing such an incredible job!

So here goes.  I've been primarily focusing on the novels that were selected for the Man Booker Prize longlist, which I read every year.  I have to say that this year the pickings are quite slim.  I've been amazed by the huge difference in quality from last year's longlist, but what can I say. I'm also amazed at what did NOT appear on the shortlist.

Since I posted last, here's what's been happening:

from the Booker Prize longlist I read

C, by Tom McCarthy -- a very unique read, I must say. This is one that I think would be a year-long graduate course and you still may not get through it. But I liked it.

Skippy Dies, by Paul Murray -- definitely one of the best books of 2010.  I have to say I'm shocked it did not go on to the longlist. This book is simply outstanding (and so funny at times you should read it away from others, so you're not embarrassed when you're laughing out loud).

February, by Lisa Moore -- definitely not one of my favorites, but an okay read

Trespass, by Rose Tremain -- this one was very likeable; very dark in tone

off the list: 

The Killer of Little Shepherds and the Birth of Forensic Science, by Douglas Starr. 

read, not reviewed:

Bad Boy, by Peter Robinson - I have to get this review done today!

Currently Reading:

The Finkler Question, by Howard Jacobson (from the longlist)

Coming up this week

The Long Song, by Andrea Levy and In A Strange Room, by Damon Galgut, both from the Booker Prize longlist. When I finish those, I'm down to the last 2 (hooray) and life can get back to normal. My brain is nearly fried. 

I nearly forgot: I received (from Schaffner Press) a copy of Acid Christ :Ken Kesey, LSD, and the Politics of Ecstasy, by Mark Christensen that I am going to get to here shortly. I love this stuff!

I sooooo want to get done with the longlist and get back to my usual reading fare -- but I'm sure it won't be too much longer now.  

ta!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

   I'm back once again to report my slow progress -- this week I spent mainly trying to get back into life after being flat on my back two weeks ago and then going to California. It hasn't been a superb reading week (or two, as the case may be!), just okay.  My thanks to Sheila at bookjourney, who keeps this going every week.

Here's how it went:

Read and reviewed

Room, by Emma Donoghue  -- I have the UK version; the US version is out in September

The Murder Room, by Michael Capuzzo

(read earlier, reviewed later): Parrot and Olivier in America

  by Peter Carey

Read and not yet reviewed -- coming someday

Trespass, by Rose Tremain

The Phantoms of Breslau, by Marek Krajewski

A Murder of Quality, by John Le Carré

A Call for the Dead, by John Le Carré

Currently reading

C by Tom McCarthy (and LOVING it, by the way)

A Small Death in the Great Glen, by A.D. Scott  

Plans for this week (Larry's gone so it should be a good week for books)

The Long Song, by Andrea Levy

 and whatever else I can find that captures my interest at the moment

that's it... until next week!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It's Monday after a very long weekend and so it's time again to report in on what I've been reading. My thanks to Sheila at bookjourney who hosts this feature each week.

I got only one review finished last week, although I did finish a fair number of books. Reviews will follow shortly for:

February, by Lisa Moore
Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey
 (both part of the Booker Prize Longlist) 4/13 down, 9 to go
The End of the World in Breslau, by Marek Krajewski
Our Kind of Traitor, by John LeCarre
   (which sparked the rewatching of the old BBC broadcasts of Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People and had me dusting off my old copies of other LeCarre novels I own)
Appointment With Death, by Agatha Christie

the solitary book review completed last week: 
 Murdering Stepmothers: The Execution of Martha Rendell, by Anna Haebich

This week I have longlist reading plans for
Room, by Emma Donoghue

and otherwise I have one more book by Marek Krajewski to read called The Phantoms of Breslau. Krajewski's books are excellent, seedy and somewhat creepy noir thrillers from Poland and I love them.

Currently I'm just starting Room, but I've also started LeCarre's A Murder of Quality. I've heard good things about Donoghue's book so I can't wait to get into it.

that's about it; don't forget I'm hosting a giveaway contest for Lisa Moore's February (see below). There's still plenty of time if you're interested.

It's Monday! What am I reading?

Today's installment of It's Monday (hosted by Sheila at Book Journey) is quite short, since there's basically nothing to report. 

Read and reviewed last week, which was incredibly busy with little time to spare:
  The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath, by Jane Robins
The Stone Murders, by Matti Joensuu
 I finished my review of Chef, by Jaspreet Singh

Read and not yet reviewed:
Our Kind of Traitor, by John LeCarre (ARC, courtesy of Viking/Penguin)



Currently Reading
February,  by Lisa Moore (on the Booker Prize Longlist)
Appointment With Death, by Agatha Christie

To be read this week, hopefully, but who knows:
finishing February, by Lisa Moore
starting Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey (on the Booker Prize Longlist)

as my daughter used to say in a rather flat tone, "whoopie doo," meaning big deal...I don't feel like I got much accomplished. Oh well!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

As always, my thanks go to the lovely host of this blog, Sheila at Book Journey. I don't know how in the world this human dynamo finds time to read with her busy life.

I missed posting last week so I have a bit to make up for, so bear with me. Continuing with light reads:

Books I've read:
Kraken, by China Mieville (sf/fantasy)

Badfellas, by Tonino Benacquista (crime fiction, France)
August Heat, by Andrea Camilleri (crime fiction, Italy)
 Death in Breslau, by Marek Krejewski (crime fiction, Poland)
Thirteen Hours, by Deon Meyer (crime fiction, South Africa) -- not yet reviewed, but wow!
Third Girl, by Agatha Christie
 The Franchise Affair, by Josephine Tey
The Madonnas of Echo Park, by Brando Skyhorse
and Chef, by Jaspreet Singh -- finished late last night, so not yet reviewed, but a most excellent book

Currently reading:
 Appointment With Death, by Agatha Christie

 Planning to read this week:
 The Singer's Gun, by Emily St. John Mandel
The Leavenworth Case,  by Anna Katherine Green
and whatever
 
so that's it. Have a good reading week!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

Where has July gone? Sheesh! The days are just whizzing by --  it's already Monday, and that means that once again it's time to mark my reading progress. I want to thank Sheila at her reading-packed blog Book Journey. Take a moment and go visit!

I promised myself it was only going to be light reading this month. 
 Last week I started two new crime fiction/mystery series. The first one featured Inspector Montalbano from Sicily in The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri.  Then it was off to France for the second, The Chalk Circle Man, by Fred Vargas.  Johan Theorin's book The Darkest Room was up next -- a most amazing and atmospheric novel, one of my favorites for 2010.  And an old favorite, Agatha Christie, made the list with A Caribbean Mystery.  Leaving Europe, I went off to Japan for The Master Key, which was written in the 1960s -- an oldie but still very much a goodie.   Read but not yet reviewed is Kraken, by China Mieville, which was at times laugh-out-loud funny. 

Currently I'm reading Badfellas by Tonino Benacquista, a finalist on the shortlist for the CWA International Dagger Award. 

In the reading plans for the week:  
Thirteen Hours, by Deon Meyer
The Strange Case of the Composer and His Judge, by Patricia Duncker
The Madonnas of Echo Park, by Brando Skyhorse
and whatever

so that's that. Happy reading

It's Monday! What am I reading?

What? Monday already? Obviously, because it's time for the weekly "what am I reading" segment, hosted by Sheila at her wonderful blog Book Journey. Take a moment and go visit; she's an amazing person.

Extremely slow reading week for me - I managed to finish and review Deadwater
by Sean Burke, a very dark novel of crime fiction from Wales. I also finished Agatha Christie's collection of Jane Marple short stories called The Thirteen Problems.  That particular book has a story in it called "The Blue Geranium," which was the focus of Masterpiece Mystery yesterday evening. I will post a review of the book here shortly.

Currently I'm reading Douglas Brinkley's book The Great Deluge, about Hurricane Katrina. This August will mark the five-year anniversary of that unforgettable storm and its even more unforgettable aftermath.  And speaking of Katrina, you can enter to win a copy of Dave Eggers' most excellent book Zeitoun here.  The Great Deluge is the last of the planned reads for my little "watery titles" mini-challenge this month. This book will probably see me through until the end of the month, since it's huge.

 Next week begins a month of random crime reads, something easy prior to the August and September "she reads the Booker longlist" months, which I do every year. The longlist will be announced at the end of July, so it's just easy reading up until August 1.  On tap for next week: Peter Temple's Truth, Hakan Nesser's new book The Inspector and Silence, and one nonfiction, Murdering Stepmothers: The Execution of Martha Rendell, by Anna Haebich -- a book originally published in Australia. Of course, the verdict is still out as to whether or not I'll finish all of those, but if not, that's okay. I'm not in a hurry.

Time to go grab my coffee and read.

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It seems like forever since I've done this; probably because it has been. Busy busy busy, a death among friends, family stuff, it's all kind of caught up & prevented me from getting back into the flow. But that's all in the past and I'm back.

First, my thanks (as always) to Sheila at book journey for hosting this weekly post. She's so busy, yet always finds time to pursue her passion for blogging and books.

This month marks the beginning of hurricane season, and that brings with it the ever-present 3 in the afternoon thunderstorm. So my personal mini-challenge this month has to do with books that have "watery" titles. It was a bit of a challenge, really, to comb through my library and see exactly what I had that met this odd requirement, but so far I've managed to do okay.

Catching up from 2 weeks ago, here's what I've read:
1. Taken at the Flood, by Agatha Christie (apa: There is a Tide)
2. The Sea and Poison, by Shusaku Endo
3. Water-blue Eyes, by Domingo Villar (a bit of crime fiction from Spain)
4. The Ice Princess, by Camilla Lackberg (crime fiction from Sweden)
5. Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers (not a "watery" title, but a book about Hurricane Katrina - and my favorite this week)
6. The Secret of Chimneys, by Agatha Christie (again...not watery but well, I wanted to read it)

Currently I've just finished
Deadwater, by Sean Burke (crime fiction from Wales - review to follow)


and plan to read the following this week:

The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, by Douglas Brinkley
Gone Fishin' by Walter Mosley
and whatever else strikes my fancy at any given moment

 that's it - I should go read now.

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It feels like it's been forever since I participated in this fun event, hosted by Sheila (thank you ever so much!) at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

So let's get started.  First: I have a book giveaway going for The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo.  Click here if you're interested. 

This past week I finished the following:

Don't Look Back, by Karin Fossum (not reviewed yet)
Lost City Radio, by Daniel Alarcon (also not reviewed)
Fever Dream, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (the newest Agent Pendergast novel for those of you who follow the series)
Blackout, by Connie Willis 
The Murder Farm, by Andrea Schenkel

I'm currently reading The Museum of Innocence, by Orhan Pamuk.

For this week:
Tomorrow I should be receiving my pre-ordered copy of Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson so I'll definitely read that, plus I'm planning to read The Slap, by Christos Tsiolkas.  After that, who knows?

In the words of Simon and Garfunkel:

Gee but it's great to be back home, home is where I want to be. I've been on the road so long my friend...

Happy reading.

It's Monday! What am I reading?

 It's Monday again and thanks to Sheila at Bookjourney, I get to catch you up on what I've been reading.

It was a very slow but productive reading week. Most of my time was spent finishing David Mitchell's stunning new book, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. I have yet to write my review because I'm mulling it over in my head before committing myself. In  a nutshell..it was wonderful. I doubt this is going to be a mainstream phenomenon, but if you're a fan of his previous works, you need to get yourself a copy of this one.

I also finished Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason, one of my favorite authors of Scandinavian crime fiction. If you're going to read his books, please start with Jar City, as the characters grow over the course of the series.

On the books-to-movie scene, I finished Big Fish by Daniel Wallace. That's another one of those books where seeing the movie first tended to kill the book for many reviewers. But I liked it.

This week coming up, I'm leaving for another 5-day cruise so I expect to read a lot while laying on the balcony in the sunny Caribbean. So far I haven't decided what I'm taking as far as books, so it will all depend on how I feel on Wednesday when I pack.  I see lots of mysteries and crime fiction in my immediate future.

Currently I'm in the middle of Hypothermia, by Arnaldur Indridason, the last of the Erlendur books to be translated to English and published over here. And I had to buy that one in the UK because as far as I know, it's not in the US yet. I'm listening to Michael Connolly's The Black Echo in the car.

so that's it for now. A week from today I'll just be getting off of the cruise so if I have any energy I'll post, but if not, in two weeks I'll post from Seattle. 

It's Monday! What am I reading?

After a weekend that was much too short, here we are at Monday again. And that means that it's once again time for "It's Monday, What Am I Reading," hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. That woman is incredible: runs 5ks, bikes 65 miles, is always on the go and yet manages to read like a fiend and keep up with her blog. So go over, say hello and get inspired!

Let's get down to business. Since last here, I did manage to get in some reading time.  Continuing on with my book-to-movie junket, I started with The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.  I then moved to Richard Neely's Shattered, a rather twisty piece of noir fiction.  Then moving away from the noir genre, I read The Stoning of Soraya M., by Freidoune Sahebjam, a small but powerful work of nonfiction, followed by Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil.  Last, but by no means least, I read Christopher G. Moore's soon-to-be-published Asia Hand, a bit of Bangkok noir (if you're wondering why you keep seeing the word "noir," it's because I really like it so read a lot of it).

Currently I'm reading Daniel Wallace's Big Fish and also David Mitchell's new book The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which will be published at the end of June.  I will be giving this book away when I finish it, since I preordered a finished copy months ago. I've heard already some potential Booker buzz about this one. 

This week I plan to finish Mitchell's book, then I'm going to drop everything and read The Harvard Psychedelic Club. I keep picking it up but it gets put aside. No more. If anything else comes up, you'll find out next week anyway.

that's it...now let's get out there and read!!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

 As usual, I sincerely thank Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books for hosting this weekly event. I've noticed that this is something I look forward to now every week. Please go over and say hello.

Monday's back again so soon? How the heck did that happen? Last week my sister was here visiting so I didn't have much reading time, but at least it was better than the previous week. Tuesday Larry's off to San Antonio, so I have two choices. I can begin the annual Spring Clean or I can read outside on my patio with some iced tea, a lovely breeze and the smell of honeybell orange blossoms all around. Tough choice. NOT!

So here's where things stand as of today:

Last week, still in keeping with the books-to-movie reads, I finished The African Queen by C.S. Forester, all the while trying not to hear the voices of Katherine Hepburn or Humphrey Bogart as I did so.  At least in the book the Bogart role has a cockney accent, so it wasn't that difficult. And I've just finished The Quiet American, by Graham Greene, which was written in 1955 but still carries a valuable message for today.  Timeless, indeed.  There were two movies that came out of that novel, one from 1958, which I haven't seen, and another from 2002, which I have. The 2002 film features Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser and I loved it. In fact, now that I've read the book, I'll be watching the 2002 film again.  The final book I managed to read was by Christopher G. Moore, entitled Asia Hand, which is book #2 in the Vincent Calvino series set in Thailand. I haven't done the review yet, but it was a great book. Check back to see what I thought of it.

Currently I'm finishing The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett and once again trying desperately to not fill in Sam Spade's voice with that of Humphrey Bogart. Here it's a little tough to do.

This week I'm hoping to get to the following (books to movie):
The Stoning of Soraya M., by Freidoune Sahebjam (based on a true story)
Shattered, by Richard Neely (crime fiction) and
All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy ( I still can't find where I put The Road -- poo!)

and for the crime interlude:
Spirit House, by Christopher G. Moore-- the first book in the Vincent Calvino series AND the only book I've purchased in the last month and a half, breaking into to the book-buying moratorium. That's how badly I wanted this book.

and I'm listening to Robert Littell's novel The Amateur on CD in the car.

Have a great reading week.

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It's that time again folks, the time where I offer up a rundown of what's going on in my reading world via the "It's Monday What Are You Reading" fun.  Sheila at Bookjourney hosts this meme, and for that, I offer my thanks.  You can visit her here.

The word of the day is s-l-o-w. That basically describes the week in reading. Okay...so part of my time was spent perfecting Wii bowling when I could have been reading, but at least I managed to read something!

Last week I actually finished two books. That's a record on the low side for me, but a) there's the new toy in the house and b) I did have a lot of company for Passover.  So all things considered, not too bad.  First there was Australian author  Patricia Carlon's mystery novel Crime of Silence, which I read but haven't yet reviewed. Then it was In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, as I switch my reading focus to books that became movies.

Currently, I've just finished The Ghost, which is the book that the new movie "The Ghostwriter" came from.  It's a political suspense thriller that will keep you reading until you're done. 

Coming up this week -- well, tonight I'll be starting C.S. Forester's novel The African Queen, published originally in 1935, and the basis of the movie by the same name. It will be interesting to see how the book translated to film, and since it's been eons since I've seen the movie, I'll be watching my brand-new copy, just purchased, as soon as I finish the book to compare.  I also planning on definitely getting through The Quiet American, by Graham Greene. I put down The Road and can't find it, so when next week's spring cleaning extravaganza begins, I'll probably run across it and get started.  I really also want to start a nonfiction book called The Harvard Psychedelic Club, by Don Lattin. 

So that's it. There was another space shuttle launch in the dark this a.m., so I've been up for a REALLY long time.  Now I'm going to grab some iced tea and go sit in the sun.

It's Monday! What am I reading?

I'm back after a two-week stint of travel (yes, again) and recovery from said travel.  Sometimes it takes me a couple of days to recover, but coming off a cruise where I got no sleep and turning right around for a family visit up north for four days where I got no sleep left me pretty much fried.  So I spent the past week sleeping and reading. A vacation from my vacations, so to speak.

This meme is hosted by Sheila, at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. Every week (okay, not last week because I was asleep pretty much all of last Monday) I offer my thanks to Sheila for hosting this. Today is no exception -- thank you!

So here's what's happening in my reading world -- I know it seems like a lot, but I had nothing but time--

this past week

Read and reviewed:
Fox Evil, by Minette Walters
The Time In Between, by David Bergen
The Shadow Year, by Jeffrey Ford
The Magicians, by Lev Grossman

Read and Not Reviewed Yet (I'll get there)
The Amnesia Clinic, by James Scudamore (an excellent book, by the way)
The Man From Saigon, by Marti Leimbach
Seeker, by Jack McDevitt 
A Thousand Cuts, by Simon Lelic 

currently: Currently I'm reading:
Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy, by William Irwin and
Blood Kin, by Ceridwen Dovey

plans for this week
In a few days, April begins, so I'll be moving to a different reading topic -- this time I'll be reading books that eventually became movies. Here's the plan for this week:

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
   I've read this one LOTS of times, but I love it so want to read it again

...and whatever else pops up from the TBR pile.

so that's it -- the unreviewed books will be reviewed shortly.

I'm back, and it's Monday ...what am I reading?

It's Monday, I'm back from my little vacation getaway, and I'm tired so this will be brief.  First, my thanks to Sheila at bookjourney who hosts this very fun meme every week. Please go give her blog a nice visit.  

Last week was a reading extravaganza for me, with absolutely zero interruptions to reading time. Out on the balcony, sun beaming down, I maximized my quiet time and got a LOT of reading done.  First there was Elizabeth George's lovely Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner Barbara Havers in A Great Deliverance. I also finished Spies, by Michael Frayn (nothing is reviewed past A Great Deliverance, but will be shortly). Fortuitously, the day we left for the cruise I got two books in the mail that I read out while sailing: The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, by David Grann (a delightful book), and my favorite Scandinavian crime fiction author's (Jo Nesbø) new book The Devil's Star.  This book has been floating around in paper for a while, but I read his other two in hardcover (the Harper editions of Redbreast and Nemesis) so I've been waiting for Devil's Star in the same format. Then it was on to Jesse Kellerman's new book, The Executor, which I received from the publisher.Last but by no means least was Woman With Birthmark (now in trade paper), by Hakan Nesser, another excellent writer of Scandinavian crime fiction.

This coming week: I'm off to Philadelphia Thursday for a family function until next week, so I don't know what I'll get done, but I plan to read Fox Evil by Minette Walters (since I forgot to pack it in my suitcase), and I have to read The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, by Kelly O'Conner McNees, which I received from the publisher. If you would like the ARC of this book after I've finished it, just email. First come, first served. I also hope to get to Arctic Chill, by Arnaldur Indridason, another one of my favorite Scandinavian crime fiction writers. Beyond that, I'm not sure.

I'm currently reading Forest Gate, by Peter Akinti, which I must review quickly for Amazon Vine. I meant to do that over this last week, but well, the best laid plans and all of that.

so that's it. I'm so tired!

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It's Monday again (dear me, how the week does fly by), and time to report in on my reading week.  First, my thanks to Sheila at bookjourney for hosting this fun activity -- I actually look forward to chiming in each week.

So....last week I started my topic for March which is "A decade of prize-winning fiction." What I've done is to choose 10 books that have all won some kind of literary award from 2000 to 2009.  Out of those ten, last week I finished two: Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee and A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss.  I also had Ian McEwan's Solar (which will be released at the end of this month) to review for Amazon Vine.  I liked it, but it's not flying well with regular McEwan readers because it's so very different from everything else he writes. Oh well. Moving on, I also finished Peter Straub's A Dark Matter, which was okay, not great.  If you're considering tackling this one, just be aware it's also unlike anything he's written before. And finally, just yesterday I finished The Beast, a Scandinavian crime fiction novel that was so tough to read, not due to the writing but because of the subject matter.  

Currently I've started reading Spies, by Michael Frayn, which won the Whitbread best novel award in 2002.  I started it very late last night but didn't get far because I was so tired I fell asleep with the light on. 

This week: Well, here's the thing. Starting Wednesday, I'm off on a short cruise until Monday, where I'm going to have a LOT of reading time, so I hope to get a lot done. There's absolutely nothing like laying on the lounger chair on my balcony with the sun and the breeze for company while I'm reading.  Anyway, I plan to finish Spies,  then start on Minette Walters' Fox Evil, which won the CWA Gold Dagger Award in 2003. After that I think I'll keep going with 2004's winner of the Dublin IMPAC award, Tahar ben Jelloun's This Blinding Absence of Light.  If somehow I get through those, then I'll read Akinti's Forest Gate.  We'll see. 

Ambitious, probably, but who knows?

 

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It's that time again ... Sheila at bookjourney hosts this lovely weekly activity. I love this feature, because I try to get around to everyone who posts to see what they're reading.

It's been a tough week. Really tough. Lots going on so my reading time was practically nil. I owe out book blog awards, I'm behind in book mailing for paperback swap, and in general, I need time a lot of time to catch up.  But here goes.

Last week: I managed to finish three books, one of which I haven't even reviewed because of no time. First there was Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, by Frank Delaney. If you haven't read this one yet, you are in for a definite treat. And as you're getting closer to the end, grab some kleenex, a hanky, anything.  The ending will pull at your heart.  I also finished Peter Hoeg's book Smilla's Sense of Snow.  I also read and finished Out Stealing Horses which I never got the time to review, but which my book group really enjoyed.

Currently: I'm trying to make my way through Peter Straub's A Dark Matter, and I don't know if it is because I've been up to my eyeballs at home or what, but I am really having trouble with this one. I'm well past the 100-page mark and I'm still not sure about it. 

This week: I start my March reading schedule (which I also have not posted yet) which consists of samples of 10 years of Prize-Winning fiction.  I am going to start with Disgrace, by JM Coetzee, then try to get through A Conspiracy of Paper, by David Liss. I'll also be finishing Straub's book, and I want to start on the book in the series previous to Box 21 (see below) called Beast.  But who knows. 

If anyone else has read Straub's book, I'd love to know what you thought. Otherwise, that's it for today, and hopefully I'll have some breathing room starting tomorrow.

It's Monday! What am I reading?

It's time once again for "It's Monday, What are You Reading?" now over at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books, here.

Last week: Author Craig Larsen sent me a message via goodreads that he thought perhaps I might enjoy his book, Mania, and I did. I didn't enjoy it because it was a free copy (I have tons of those), but it was a different kind of suspense novel.  My word of warning on this one: don't let the flashbacks get to you (if you decide to read it, that is). Take it very slow, and don't power read through it.  After that, I traveled up into the Norse countries with Box 21, by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom, which was so good I bought the preceding book in the series, Beast.  Box 21 was difficult to read due to the subject matter, but was so well written that it sucked me in immediately. A no-miss for readers who love Scandinavian crime fiction. It makes Wallander look tame.  And speaking of Wallander, I had pre-ordered Henning Mankell's new book, The Man From Beijing and set to work on it immediately.  I love Henning Mankell, but this one wasn't one of my favorites from him.  Rumor has it there's another Wallander in the works so I'm waiting patiently. Okay, maybe not patiently. But I'm waiting.  The last of the Scandinavian books, this time a prize-winning novel, was Out Stealing Horses, by Per Petterson, a beautiful book which I highly recommend, or at least I will when I write my review.  This is my choice for our book group, which meets tomorrow, so I'll be back with a review and what my group thought about this book.   Moving westward in my book travels, I moved over to the UK with Jo Bannister's No Birds Sing, which is #4 in a series that I've owned for a long time and feel obligated to finish.  I think there are maybe three more left to go.  And continuing ever west, I landed back in the good old US of A with Scarlet Women, a historical mystery set in 1870s New York.

Currently I'm reading two books. First, there's Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, a Librarything ER read, set in Ireland in the early 1930s and which I'm loving.  I will definitely finish this one in the next day because my review is due.  The other book is an oldie but still a goodie, Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Hoeg, which I read absolutely eons ago.  My husband is away on business travel, and when he's gone, I often eat dinner accompanied to stuff I'd previously TiVo'd.  Last night, I found that I had TiVo'd the movie made from this book, got more than halfway through it, and realized I didn't remember the ending and wanted to read it. So I picked it up and started reading.  

Over the course of this week I have plans to finish Smilla, then my Amazon Vine Review copy of Ian McEwan's new book Solar should be arriving tomorrow so I'll read that. I also want to read Russel McLean's crime fiction book  The Good Son, which is set in Scotland and looks really good. I don't think I'll add any more to the list so I can at least be realistic in setting reading goals.

So that's it.