Tuesday, June 18, 2019

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019



The topic this week for Top Ten Tuesday is the Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019. This was harder than I would have liked now that FictFact.com has shut down. It was a valuable site for tracking series, and since it was connected to amazon, dates of new releases and next books was easily found. Mostly what I look forward to are the next books in my favourite series or books from favourite authors.

Check out That Artsy Reader Girl for other blog posts on this topic, or for future topics.




Big Sky by Kate Atkinson June 25
Ooh, a new Jackson Brodie


Love and Death Among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen Aug 6
the latest with Lady Georgiana, 34th in line for the throne in 1930s England


This Little Light by Lori Lansens Aug 13
Lansens is a great Canadian writer of books like The Girls, The Wife's Tale, and Rush Home Road


A Better Man by Louise Penny Aug 27
a new Inspector Gamauche book, and life from Three Pines


Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell  Sept 10
Gladwell writes such entertaining social science books, with anecdotes to support his theory. 



A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier Sept 17
A 1930s, between the war book from England, by Chevalier? ticking all my boxes



To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith Oct 22 2019
Number One Ladies Detective Agency in lovely Botswana, book #20

and finally, while not a book, I am most looking forward to Toy Story 4 at the theatre, starting June 21st







Tuesday, June 11, 2019

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books From My Favorite Genre


The topic last week is Books From My Favourite Genre. I forgot to write last week, but I have lots of police procedurals to share so will do this list this week instead. I like police procedurals from different time periods, and different countries. I much prefer police detectives to cozy mysteries

Check out That Artsy Reader Girl for other blog posts on this topic, or for future topics.



Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer
Bennie Griessle is South African police officer and Thirteen Hours was the first of his books that I read. And I loved it. I've gone back and now have read all the Bennie books that Meyer has written. Brilliant reads.


Truth by Peter Temple
I read Truth probably ten years ago and I really liked it. It was dark and noir, and once I got used to the slang/Australian accent, it was great. 


The Last Policeman by Ben H Winters
A future world with a meteor about to hit the Earth, and one poor cop trying to keep working and keep order. This trilogy was a great blend of police and apocalyptic. 


The Trespasser by Tana French
I can't wait for another one in this series, the Dublin Murder Squad. Each book is a stand alone and follows a different detective. Sometimes I feel like French could use an editor, but not enough to stop reading, and her books are getting tighter and tighter.


Birdman by Mo Hayder
Jack Caffrey is a London police officer but is dealing with lots of internal struggles. This series pushed the limit of my goriness factor, much like Criminal Minds the TV show did.


The Dry by Jane Harper
Australia the setting is just as great as the detective, Aaron Falk. Only two books so far, but I'm waiting for some more.



The Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
Iceland is the setting for many murders and disappearances for the police to investigate and Erlendur is just the cranky detective to do it. This series was a wonderful chance to learn about a different country, and now I would like to visit Iceland.



A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
Twenty years ago, Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Barbara Havers were my go to police detectives. These are long books, heavy vocabulary, but really well plotted and layered characters as well as British class issues. I read about 12 in the series, mostly before blogging, and they would take me nearly a month to read. I have great memories of these books. 


The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
Another British series but Victorian setting and much lighter and easier to read. The kind of series it was easy to grab one from the library and enjoy. The order didn't matter too much, but there are character developments along the way. More with the British class systems and police officer Thomas Pitt is considered pretty lowly, and much of his advantage is his high born wife Charlotte. Full of the Victorian manners and rules.


Cop Hater by Ed McBain
This is probably the best police series ever written, with apologies to the Martin Beck Swedish series which is considered the original, and I forgot to feature today. There are over 50 books in this series, with many different detectives and New York City is a major piece of the books. I don't even know how many or which books I read, because I didn't keep a record of all that I read way back when I read these. 
An interesting feature of this series is that it starts in the 1960s and then everyone continues to grow and age. Maybe a combination of Barney Miller and Hill Street Blues? 

Monday, June 10, 2019

MONDAY: What Are You Reading?



It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week and is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

In print:

Remember when I read, and loved The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson? I finally got around to reading another book by him, and he has not disappointed. Slightly old, 2005, but still fascinating. His premise is that modern popular culture, video games and television and internet, are actually making us smarter, not dumbing us down as is the common belief. He's making his case for me! This book reminds me of a Malcolm Gladwell type of book, with lots of specific examples to support his theory. 

next in print: probably Ordinary People by Diana Evans, a short listed Women's Prize for Fiction title

In Audio:



I finally read this classic Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Good Earth. It was good, but a little frustrating as the main character let his money go to his head, and life was pretty terrible in China in the early 1900s. However, it was an interesting look at a different life. 

next in audio: Meet the Sky by McCall Hoyle, a YA Sync summer book

in Ebook: 

I've been enjoying this Swedish nonfiction true crime book. 

next in ebook: I'm not sure yet. I've had to stop getting Kindle deal updates, as there are now quite a few ebooks waiting for me. I have lots of options.

I'm writing this post as I sit and watch the Raptors, me along with most of Canada. When the game is in Toronto, I can mostly listen, as cheering is always good news. For our basketball house, this has been such an exciting NBA playoffs! Go Raptors! Fear the North!