What Was the Last Book You Read?

[Chrissy]

Reading David Baldacci's King and Maxwell right now.

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A good series.

[countrydirt]

A Column of Fire by Ken Follett. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy his writing.

[Lady Onogaro]

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagrenda. I liked the setting and the main character, but the mystery was kind of tedious.

[Chrissy]

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagrenda. I liked the setting and the main character, but the mystery was kind of tedious.

Maybe The Thursday Detectives Club books from Richard Osman might be more suitable if you can buy them in the US? I really like all three books.

[Chip]

Spook Street by Mick Herron, fourth in the the Slough House series (Slow Horses, Dead Lions, Real Tigers, Spook Street, London Rules).



Raffish spy tales, rich in misadventure. Reminds me of LeCarré, filtered through Hunter S. Thompson.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

Rising Tiger, by Brad Thor. The latest in his Scot Harvath series.

Murder in the Marais, by Cara Black. The first in her series featuring Aimée Leduc, a private investigator in Paris. Well written, they offer Paris trivia as well as idioms.

Currently: Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

Just started Dava Sobel's Galileo's Daughter.

Excellent content artfully presented in a book printed on high quality paper and the chapter titles are inscribed in Italic.

[Lady Onogaro]

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagrenda. I liked the setting and the main character, but the mystery was kind of tedious.

Maybe The Thursday Detectives Club books from Richard Osman might be more suitable if you can buy them in the US? I really like all three books.

I've read those already some time ago. And yes, I enjoyed them.

[Runnin_Ute]

King and Maxwell by David Baldacci

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[Kaputnik]

I'm in the middle of several books simultaneously, as usual. It's rare that I won't finish a book, even if I put it down for a while, and I expect I'll get through these in due course.

The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor, by John Barth. I read his Giles Goat Boy many years ago, and remember enjoying it immensely. I'm finding The Last Voyage a bit tedious at times. Perhaps it's just that I've changed. The premise is interesting enough. A 20th century American travel writer finds himself in the Baghdad of the Arabian Nights, swapping stories with Sindbad the Sailor.

Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. This was the book that really made his reputation as an author, seven years before The Satanic Verses. I read The Satanic Verses when it came out, mostly as a protest against the "fatwa", and was surprised to find that it was actually a good book. I also read and enjoyed his memoir Joseph Anton some years ago. I'm liking Midnight's Children as well. It's a shame, though, that I was reminded that I had it partly because of the latest attack on him.

I actually finished A Column of Fire by Ken Follett. Maybe another case of "I've changed". I enjoyed everything of his that I'd read before, but found myself making constant criticisms of his writing here, all the while thinking that it was very like his earlier work. And yet, as I said, I did finish this rather long book, and not in an extraordinarily long time. I may not bother with his next book, though. And there are so many other books that I mean to read.

And I keep returning to my drawing books, hoping that some of the skills will sink in with enough practice. How to Draw What You See, by Rudy de Reyna, Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson, Watercolor Techniques by Michael Reardon, others.

[TSherbs]

I've started 2312, because member Chip has recommended Robinson more than once. Only 40 pages in, but intriguing world-building in the setting, for sure. Not badly written, either. I have no idea what's coming, either (no spoilers!)....

[Chip]

Robinson has written a heap of books, in several genres.

I just finished By Way of Sorrow by Robyn Gigl. The main character is a transgender defense lawyer and the issues are examined, without detracting from the narrative.



Liked it. I'll try her second book, Survivor's Guilt.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

Just finished Cara Black's Night Flight to Paris. An American markswoman embarks on her second mission to Paris during WW2.

Starting the latest in C.J. Box's series featuring the exploits of Wyoming game warden Joe Picket: Storm Watch.

Next in line: Viral: The Search for the Origins of Covid-19.

[Chip]

Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan, who has several good histories to his credit.



It's striking how the present Republican plot to subvert the election process and seize control parallels the resurrection of the Klan in the 1920s.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

The Forgotten 500, by Gregory A. Freeman. An account of the OSS' rescue of hundreds of American airmen shot down over Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia.

And as Leonardo Da Vinci was born this day (April 15) in 1452, I've picked up my long-neglected copy of Walter Isaacson's Leonardo Da Vinci.

[Kobaken]

"Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps" by Daniel Drescher. I collect info about crypto mixing By mixing funds from multiple users, crypto mixing makes it difficult to trace individual transactions and provides protection against theft and fraud. However, it's important to note that some mixing services may be less secure than others, and there is always a risk of exposure or hacking. Additionally, the use of crypto mixing services may be viewed as suspicious by regulators and law enforcement agencies. Despite these potential drawbacks, many traders find that the benefits of crypto mixing outweigh the risks. By carefully selecting a reputable mixing service and taking precautions to protect their assets, traders can enjoy increased privacy and security in their cryptocurrency transactions.
Overall, crypto mixing can be a valuable tool for traders looking to protect their financial activities from unwanted scrutiny. As with any financial decision, however, it's important to weigh the potential risks and benefits before deciding to use a mixing service.

[Doctox]

My wife and I belong to a book club, and we burn through many books (not in the way Florida does lately). Our most recent short list includes a new-to-us author, Nguyen Phan Que, and her first book "The Mountains Sing" which is a view of Vietnamese experience through multiple occupations by China, Japan, the French, and Americans. Since my Wife grew up in Saigon just after the French withdrew, it had special meaning. Also notable is the latest 44 Scotland Street novel by Alexander McCall Smith, whom I believe to be among the best authors extant. The other recent binge has been the Three Pines / Chief Inspector Gamache novels by Louise Penny.
When it comes to "classics" EVERYONE at the book club has loved "Project Hail Mary, and most liked Cloud Cuckoo Land, which is a recent classic-to-be.

[Chip]

Standing in The Shadows by Peter Robinson. The final book in the DCI Banks series, since Robinson died (alas!) after it was finished but prior to publication.



A master of the form, Robinson integrates the setting, politics, and events of the time, along with the personalities and perspectives of his characters, all the while moving the story along at a steady pace to a satisfying conclusion.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

I'm in the middle of several books simultaneously, as usual. It's rare that I won't finish a book, even if I put it down for a while, and I expect I'll get through these in due course.

The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor, by John Barth. I read his Giles Goat Boy many years ago, and remember enjoying it immensely. I'm finding The Last Voyage a bit tedious at times. Perhaps it's just that I've changed. The premise is interesting enough. A 20th century American travel writer finds himself in the Baghdad of the Arabian Nights, swapping stories with Sindbad the Sailor.

Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. This was the book that really made his reputation as an author, seven years before The Satanic Verses. I read The Satanic Verses when it came out, mostly as a protest against the "fatwa", and was surprised to find that it was actually a good book. I also read and enjoyed his memoir Joseph Anton some years ago. I'm liking Midnight's Children as well. It's a shame, though, that I was reminded that I had it partly because of the latest attack on him.

I actually finished A Column of Fire by Ken Follett. Maybe another case of "I've changed". I enjoyed everything of his that I'd read before, but found myself making constant criticisms of his writing here, all the while thinking that it was very like his earlier work. And yet, as I said, I did finish this rather long book, and not in an extraordinarily long time. I may not bother with his next book, though. And there are so many other books that I mean to read.

And I keep returning to my drawing books, hoping that some of the skills will sink in with enough practice. How to Draw What You See, by Rudy de Reyna, Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson, Watercolor Techniques by Michael Reardon, others.

Thanks, Kaputnik. You inspired me to buy a copy of Draw What You See to make better use of my MB 149 Curved Nib's fine lines to draw in my notebooks.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

Lee and Andrew Child's No Plan B, the latest Jack Reacher novel.

In their first collaboration, Reacher's still on the road, still stopping for coffee in cafes, and still seeking the truth.