Reading Ahead: February 2018, part 3

Feel like you have no time to read? You're not alone. There are many ways to fit a little extra reading into your life. Like short stories (see the latest title from Joyce Carol Oates, below) which take hardly any time at all. Or some easy reading (like Sophie Kinsella's latest), in which the pages simply fly by!


Beautiful Days, by Joyce Carol Oates. Oates's stories are, like her novels, richly diverse, exploring the intimate, secret inner lives of people both like us, and very unlike us. These are characters independent, bold, defiant, sometimes with grave consequences. If you share her fascination with the social, psychological and moral boundaries that govern our behavior (and really, isn't that what all good stories are about, deep down?), this collection should absolutely be on your reading list.


Surprise Me, by Sophie Kinsella. No one can ever know what goes on inside a marriage...sometimes not even the couple themselves. Sylvie and Dan have been together for ten years and they have a great life together: good communication, fulfilling jobs, lovely twin daughters. And then someone mentions that they could be together another sixty-eight years, and the suggestion breeds instant panic. The couple decides to implement Project Surprise Me, each of them surprising one another with gifts, dates and experiences, in order to keep things fresh. Some of these, of course, wind up with hilariously disastrous results. Other endeavors, however, reveal secrets each never dreamed the other might have been keeping all this time...

Meg's Picks: October 2016

I just have two titles that I've held back for you this month, but they are two doozies!

Today Will Be Different, by Maria Semple. Semple is the author of the standout novel Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (2012), which followed teenager Bee on the journey of a lifetime to find her troubled, talented mother, who has disappeared. (By the way, I highly recommend it.) In her new novel, Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action-life happens. Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office-but not Eleanor-that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret.

Paris for One, and Other Stories, by JoJo Moyes. Moyes (Me Before You, After You, etc) treats fans to the title novella and eight short stories in this collection, just right for curling up at the end of the day with a warm drink to unwind. (Yes, I'm an optimist, I can't help it. Sounds good though, doesn't it?) Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away—to anywhere—before. Traveling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to prove everyone—including herself—wrong.  Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life? The collection is rounded out with stories equally funny and charming, what critics are calling vintage Moyes. 

Reading Ahead: October 2016, part 2

Lots of new books are on their way from some long-time favorites. In fact, James Patterson is putting books out so fast these days, October will actually see two separate titles from him!

Escape Clause, by John Sandford. Sandford treats readers to a new Virgil Flowers novel next month, the first since 2014's Deadline. Two large, and very rare, Amur tigers have vanished from their cage, and authorities are worried sick that they’ve been stolen for their body parts. Traditional Chinese medicine prizes those parts for home remedies, and people will do extreme things to get what they need. Some of them are a great deal more extreme than others -- as Virgil is about to find out.

Missing, by James Patterson & Kathryn Fox. This latest installment in Patterson's Private series (following this summer's The Games) finds Craig Gisto promising Eliza Moss that his elite team at Private Sydney will investigate the disappearance of her father. After all, as CEO of a high-profile research company, Eric Moss shouldn't be difficult to find. Except it's not just the man who's gone missing. And they aren't the only ones on the hunt. Powerful figures want Moss to stay "lost," while others just as ruthlessly want him found. Fans will get spoiled if this series continues with installments every 3-4 months!

Kill or Be Killed, by James Patterson.  Patterson may actually be reaching market saturation here, competing with himself. In this new Bookshots title, Patterson includes four thrilling stories in one slim volume. There's a surprise twist during a serial killer's trial that the Women's Murder Club never saw coming. In another story, a woman's fantasy goes much too far. In a third, a band of diamond thieves are in the middle of a perfect heist...until a rival crew shows up. And finally, a tale of personal vengeance for a woman wronged. Readers looking for a quick read, this is right up your alley.

 

What I've Been Reading: February 2016

It's hard to believe the end of the month is upon us--I feel like I missed a week in there somewhere! It has not felt like the most accomplished month for me, reading-wise. Some easy reading, a collection of short-stories, a couple of audiobooks--not bad, but you can see why I thought maybe I'd lost a week.

Day Four, by Sarah Lotz. I couldn't keep this one to myself. You can read my review here. I actually did this as an audiobook and thought the reader, Penelope Rawlins, did  an admirable job.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, by Stephen King. I don't often take a chance on a collection of short stories, but when it comes to Stephen King, if I'm in for a penny, I'm in for a pound. I like that in recent collections, he talks a bit about how each story comes to be written--it's less like a magician explaining how the trick is done and more like an alchemist describing the effects of a catalyst, if that makes any sense? In any case, some of these are plain scary (Mile 81), others are creepy as all get out and reminded me of IT (Bad Little Kid), some are metaphysical (Ur), and still others are not immediately horrifying, but creep into your head and stick around, rearing up to be mulled over again and again, reminding me of Dolan's Cadillac from Nightmares & Dreamscapes, which had the same effect on me (Morality, Premium harmony). I'm still most partial to Nightmares & Dreamscapes, of all of King's collections, but this one ranks right up there.

Dance of Death, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Yes, I am still sticking with this duo's Agent Pendergast series, of which this is book 6. Really, every time I think they can't get better (although Still Life with Crows remains my favorite to date), I am captivated all over again. Really, it's the old Twin Peaks/X-Files/Indiana Jones fan in me that finds these so deeply involving--things you can't explain, secret societies, ancient civilizations? Yes please! Here, Pendergast's most dangerous adversary is hard at work, determined to take away everything Pendergast has ever loved, including those he has worked with closely in recent years. And who would know best how to push his buttons than his own flesh and blood? The ultimate challenge has been given: Catch me if you can. I cannot recommend this series enough, it really is one of my favorite things to read right now.

Brotherhood in Death, by J.D. Robb. The extremely prolific Robb (aka Nora Roberts) is at it again. Here, a politician winds up kidnapped, later discovered dead in his grandparents' old home. He also happened to be related to Dr. Charlotte Mira's husband, who was injured during his cousin's kidnapping. So Eve Dallas, homicide detective, is determined to get to the bottom of the case for reasons beyond just the politician's death. When an old friend of Senator Mira is found dead in a similar manner just days later, Dallas has to race against time to uncover the culprits, prevent them from murdering more prominent men, and in the process unearths a decades-old brotherhood that has brought this all to a head. I have to say that I found this one to be particularly unsettling in its subject matter--this one may not be for everyone.

The Vacationers, by Emma Straub. This is a re-read--my book club is reading this for our March meeting. You can read my original review here.

Find Her, by Lisa Gardner. Eighth in Gardner's D.D. Warren series, Find Her is the story of Flora Dane, who was abducted and held captive for 472 days. She survived, but has spent the last decade trying to learn how to live in the world again. But Detective D.D. Warren has to wonder if Flora has gone from victim to vigilante when she finds that Flora has confronted three suspected abductors recently. When Flora herself disappears again, Warren must find her, because there is a predator who wants to make sure that Flora never returns.

Reading Ahead: March 2016, part 4

I know I talk a lot about thrillers and suspense novels around here, but honestly, those seem to be the popular genres du jour, and there are no two ways around it. That said, there are definitely best-sellers on the horizon that don't fall under those categories, so if you're in the market for something else, read on.

Two If By Sea, by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Bestselling author Mitchard (The Breakdown Lane, The Deep End of the Ocean, etc.) brings readers another story guaranteed to hit you right in the feels. After losing everything in the Christmas Eve tsunami in Brisbane, American expat and former police officer Frank Mercy goes out with his volunteer rescue unit and pulls a young boy from a submerged car. Afraid for the boy, Frank sidesteps procedure and brings the boy, Ian, back to the Midwestern horse farm owned and operated by his family, where he seeks to protect the deeply traumatized, gifted boy from a sinister group that will do anything to get him back.

Property of a Noblewoman, by Danielle Steel. The contents of a long-abandoned safe-deposit box in a New York City bank will go up for auction if an heir cannot be found. But if the owner was the woman in the photographs contained in the box, along with jewels and letters, what could have happened to make her leave these things behind without a will? A law clerk and a Christie's art expert are sent to inspect the contents, but find themselves drawn into the mystery behind the owner, one that will lead them all over Europe before they find the truth.

A Few of the Girls, by Maeve Binchy. Binchy, who passed in 2012, has been mourned as one of Ireland's most beloved authors. For readers who would like to revisit some of her narrative magic, this collection of short fiction, spanning her career, might just soothe the soul. They range from those published in magazines, others to be auctioned at charity events, and still others written as gifts for friends.

At the Edge of the Orchard, by Tracey Chevalier. Chevalier delves into the story of one American pioneer family and their struggles to get by in the untamed west. In 1838, that means the swamps of northwest Ohio, where the Goodenough family settles in the very spot their wagon became mired in mud. They seek to start an orchard, buying trees from John Appleseed, to stake their claim on the property. The orchard reminds James of his home in Connecticut, but his wife Sarah becomes more enamored of the applejack they produce, seeking to escape from their hardscrabble life. In 1853, it is their youngest child Robert who lights out for the California during the Gold Rush, ultimately working for a naturalist who sends seeds and plants from the New World back to Europe. When Robert's past comes back to haunt him, he has to decide whether to keep running, or go back and face his family once and for all. Chevalier has a great flair for historical fiction, and this title is high on my list of novels to be read this spring.