What Book Are You Reading?

[ProudTVJunkie]

I know we have the holiday book thread, and I feel like we had a regular book thread at one point but it was so long ago that I can't seem to find it...so I'm starting a new one.

I've been doing a lot more reading so far this year, so I thought I'd share and hope you'll do the same.

I just finished Spare by Prince Harry. I hadn't planned on reading it as I've never been much of a Royal watcher, but I remember watching Harry and Will walking behind Diana's coffin and how horrible that moment was. I recall thinking that I hope those kids get counseling because I can't imagine how they deal with all of this.

So, on a whim, I bought the book, and learned they're was no therapy for those boys. Harry didn't speak of it to anyone, and didn't really cry for his mother for many years when, as an adult, he was able to seek out his own therapist.

Despite the media drumming up drama at every turn about this book, I can't say he really bashes anyone. He talks about his experiences and especially how the British media lies and manipulates and has hunted him since childhood. And how the Palace is complicit in the game.

It's his story from childhood through his military service and beyond. There are a lot of details I never knew which were fascinating. There's no mention of Meg, until the final third of the book. I really hadn't known half of the stories the British papers put out there, and a lot of them were truly awful. In the end, I can't say I blame them for walking away. Most sane people would.

He says he took a lot of criticism for his interviews and this book. But he points out that most of his family have sanctioned stories or whole books by feeding authors the information they wanted out there but never actually putting their name to it. And many people have written books about him who he's never met. At least with this book and media tour, people will know it's his story because it came directly from him.

Overall, it's a fascinating read about life most of us can barely imagine and once I got started I couldn't put it down.

[geezer2008]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, I love this thread. I just finished Figure 8-A Northern Lakes Mystery. It's by Jeff Nania. He's a Wisconsinite who lives in the Northwoods. A mystery set "up North" with lots of familiar places and a story well told. 

I am on a mystery kick lately. My current reads are Frozen Detective-A Piper and Porter Mystery by Amanda Flower. Set at a ski resort where the victim was shot with a crossbow while skiing. Lots of suspects and a good read thus far.
I'm also reading Dead And Gondola- A Christie Bookshop Mystery by Ann Claire. It's a little different. A pair of sisters run a book store in a hamlet on top of a mountain. Most folks take a gondola up and down. It's also a popular ski area. A stranger enters their store, wanders around, forgets his knapsack and leaves. Later as they are going to descend the mountain, they see the man enter the gondola in front of theirs. From their gondola, they see the man slump over. Lo and behold, he's been stabbed before getting on and dies on the way down. Thus it begins. Different but good so far.

[ibmjas]

The whole 'skier gets shot with a crossbow' sounds like a 'Murder She Wrote' episode I saw.

[geezer2008]

I finished Frozen Detective yesterday and will finish Dead and Gondola today. Both proved excellent. I will post my new read or reads when I dive into my stash and decide. LOL, I certainly have enough to choose from

[ProudTVJunkie]

geezer2008, you amaze me with how many books you read. I've always been a slower reader, so it definitely takes me a bit more time to get through a book.

I recently read Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello. If the author's name sounds familiar, it's because he's the co-founder of TVLine.com and previously worked at TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. I've followed him for years and always found his interviews and articles insightful and entertaining.

The book is the true story of his courtship and marriage to his husband, Kit Cowan, who died of terminal cancer in 2015. It is equal parts touching, tragic, and funny. I definitely enjoyed it but be warned that some of it is very honest and raw when it comes to Kit's cancer.

They recently made a movie out of this book, starring Jim Parsons (Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory). It was in theaters before the holidays, and it's now streaming on Peacock and available to rent or buy on iTunes. I haven't had the chance to watch it yet, but I plan too. Something tells me I'm going to need a box of tissues available when I do.

[geezer2008]

LOL, thanks for the compliment, Christine. You have a lot of balls in the air and I am long retired and have the time to read. It is one of my great joys in life. Your time will come

I am currently reading Desert Star by Michael Connelly. Remember him from Castle?? He was one of Rick's writer friends. I digress. This is the latest installment in the Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard series. Renee is in the LAPD and the head of the newly formed unsolved case unit. The unit is made up of retired folks from the law and order community. She invites Harry to join and     we are off and running. Connelly is a wonderful writer and weaver of a story. You will not be disappointed in this book. It's hard to put down. It is not necessary to read this series in order. Enjoy!

[tycho657]

Feb 11, 2023 10:20:13 GMT -5 geezer2008 said:

LOL, thanks for the compliment, Christine. You have a lot of balls in the air and I am long retired and have the time to read. It is one of my great joys in life. Your time will come

I am currently reading Desert Star by Michael Connelly. Remember him from Castle?? He was one of Rick's writer friends. I digress. This is the latest installment in the Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard series. Renee is in the LAPD and the head of the newly formed unsolved case

unit. The unit is made up of retired folks from the law and order community. She invites Harry to join and     we are off and running. Connelly is a wonderful writer and weaver of a story. You will not be disappointed in this book. It's hard to put down. It is not necessary to read this series in order. Enjoy!

I have been to a few of his book signings over in Scottsdale put on ny the local small bookstore "The Poison Pen". They can't have them at the bookstore anymore as he is very popular. They rent out space at the Biltmore. When he was starting his Harry Bosch TV series I was able to chat with him. I said so you realize how much work this will be?? If you noticed his book production went down for awhile.
Haven't read the new one yet.

[geezer2008]

Wow, how great that you have had the opportunity to meet Connelly, Teresa. Spoiler alert.........read Desert Star.

I am currently reading:

NYPD Red 7 The Murder Society by Marshall Karp. The previous 6 books in this series were co-authored with James Patterson. All were excellent. This is the first with Karp on his own. I will let you know.......... 

[ProudTVJunkie]

I just began reading Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball. Back in 1964, she began transcribing interviews with the goal of writing her autobiography, but stopped and put it away because she thought some things (like her divorce from Desi) might be too hurtful. After her death, her children found the transcripts. Their father, Desi Arnaz, had published his autobiography in the 1970s and they thought it was only fitting that their mother should have hers published too. Apparently each book has some of the same stories but from completely different points of view.

So far, I've only read about her childhood, but this book is fascinating. She had a lot of love in her young life, but also endured loss and tragedy. I've always been a fan of Lucy's, but there's so much here that I didn't know and I can't wait to read more.

I'd also love to read A Book by Desi Arnaz. His autobiography was a best seller when it was released but is long out of print. I've seen prices for copies ranging from $100 to $300! I know there's an audio version but I'd much prefer to read it. Whenever I find a used bookstore, I always look for it. Maybe some day I'll find a more reasonably priced copy, or decide to splurge!

[geezer2008]

I went looking in book sites that I like to use for A Book. Wow, hard copies were going for $200 plus but you could get audiobooks for around $9. It must not of been a very large printing thus less books in circulation. Good luck, Christine

NYPD Red 7 is an excellent read if you enjoy Police mysteries.

[geezer2008]

I am currently reading and almost finished with The Devils Ransom by Brad Taylor. It is the latest in the Pike Logan series. He works for the federal goverment in a secret agency that  puts out fires all over the world that other agencies can't touch. Very well written and another joy to read.

[ProudTVJunkie]

I finished Love, Lucy and really enjoyed it. It only goes on until the mid-1960s because it's direct from what Lucille Ball had written and then hidden away. Despite their tumultuous marriage, I liked that she and Desi maintained a good relationship for their kids and their joint business, and even seemed to get along well with each other's new spouses.

I seem to be on an autobiography kick. I started Cybill Disobedience by actress Cybil Shepherd. I was a big fan of Moonlighting back in the '80s, so I thought I might find this interesting. So far, it's about her childhood and teen years in Memphis in the 1960s and '70s. She was a tomboy and fairly smart, but all her family seemed to care about was that she was pretty. That led to her trying out for Beauty Pageants, which she never liked but made her parents and grandparents very happy.

I don't like this book as much as Love, Lucy, but it's definitely holding my interest, and I'm curious to hear the rest of her story.

[geezer2008]

My latest book is The Sea Wolves, an Isaac Bell Adventure. It was first written by Clive Cussler, but is now written by Jack Du Brul. It is another long running series that I have enjoyed since the beginning. Isaac is a private detective for the Van Dorn Detective Agency. This story is set in the early years of the First World War and is a story of spies and espionage. It is a nice change of pace from reading modern stories.

Thanks Christine for sharing your current reads. I share them with Rikki as she is a very varied reader and enjoys whatever tickles her fancy.

[geezer2008]

I am currently reading A Death In Door County(a Monster Hunter Mystery) by Annelise Ryan. She is a Wisconsin writer who has written multiple mystery series. 

Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, WI, has a hobby. When she is not tending her store, she's hunting cryptids-creatures whose existence is rumored but never proven to be real. So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with bites on their bodies that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help.

A fun read thus far.

[ProudTVJunkie]

I just started reading The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan, but I'm a fan of the original three movies. For the movies made after those three, I've liked them to varying degrees, but they've never captured my heart like the original trilogy. And I haven't appreciated where they've taken the storylines for the original three characters.

This book takes place right after Return of the Jedi, and it is such fun. I'm only a quarter of the way through it by it makes my shipper heart happy.

After I've finished, I'll come back and let you know what I think of it overall.