Books moral and immoral

[Artemis@BC]

^ I've seen Rankin a couple of times too at the Vancouver Writer's Festival, and I agree, he's very entertaining (the same cannot be said of some of my other favourite authors). One of the times he appeared with Quentin Jardine, and the theme of the discussion was Edinburgh as a "character" in their books. Very interesting discussion.

I think I would have had the same reaction as Rankin re: Rebus and Siobhan. Mind you, if you've read Standing in Another Man's Grave ...

Spoiler

Rebus would be a better choice for Siobhan than that ass-hat DCI she was seeing.

[Rex]

For some strange reason, someone gave me a copy of Scotty Bower's Full Service, which talks about the sexual exploits of Tinseltown's most notorious male hustler of the Golden Age. Naturally, it was nice to receive a gift for Christmas, but why would anyone think I'D read a book like that?

Update: I had to actually put this book down when I got to the part about Charles Laughton and his erm....choice of sandwich spread...this s**t is too skull-bending even for me .

[Prancer]

Update: I had to actually put this book down when I got to the part about Charles Laughton and his erm....choice of sandwich spread...this s**t is too skull-bending even for me .

Damn it, Rex, now I have to read it .

[genevieve]

I just finished two books:

"I'd Know You Anywhere" by Laura Lippman - I've read another of her books ("What the Dead Know") and this was similar - adult female with tragedy from her teen years in the '80s that isn't exactly what you think, and both books are told both in the present and the past. The previous book irked me, this one was similiar but less annoying, but mostly I think Lippman has interesting ideas that turn into tedious stories.

"Broken Harbor" by Tana French - she was my big discovery a year ago, I read all 3 of the previous Dublin Murder Squad books in about 3 weeks then had to wait for this one to come out in the summer. Started reading it and then wandered off for a while. This book also follows a formula - using a side character from the previous novel as the protagonist, with a past that affects the current case. The criminal case was very interesting, but the main character's personal life issues were boring, and I couldn't muster any sympathy for his family predicament at all. Even her writing, which usually draws me in no matter what's going on with the plot, felt a little flat and formulaic this time around. I'd still say it's a good book, but I had high expectations that weren't quite met.

[Buzz]

Killing Floor - Lee Chlld. Loved the movie so I decided to give the book a try.

[Jenny]

Killing Floor - Lee Chlld. Loved the movie so I decided to give the book a try.

I'd love to hear what you think of this book!

[Prancer]

I liked The Killing Floor and think it is the best of the Reacher books--but be warned that it is really, really violent, even for a Reacher book.

The movie wasn't based on The Killing Floor, though--it was based on One Shot, which was one of my least favorite of the Reacher books.

[rfisher]

I found out over Christmas one of my brothers is a Reacher fan. He's only about half-way through the series though which means I have to reread to remember what happened in what book.

[Prancer]

I found out over Christmas one of my brothers is a Reacher fan. He's only about half-way through the series though which means I have to reread to remember what happened in what book.

Amazon book lists are your friend: http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Reacher-o.../RRFGF5USUEC35 --although that list is in chronological order, not publication order.

LOL at the reviews for Nothing to Lose. That was a TERRIBLE book; tell your brother to skip it.

[Buzz]

Thanks Prancer, at least i started at the beginning. So far I am absolutely loving the book but work keeps getting in the way of me finishing it. LOL I love this sort of mystery books. The type that are fairly straightforward without the mind bending twists at the end although I do wish Child had given his hero at least a nap sack. I mean wearing the same undies for days at a time?! Eww....

[Prancer]

Thanks Prancer, at least i started at the beginning. So far I am absolutely loving the book but work keeps getting in the way of me finishing it. LOL I love this sort of mystery books. The type that are fairly straightforward without the mind bending twists at the end although I do wish Child had given his hero at least a nap sack. I mean wearing the same undies for days at a time?! Eww....

Think of how nasty that toothbrush must be after he's been toting it around, all folded up, in his pocket. Every time I read about it, all I can think of is all the bacteria breeding away on the damp toothbrush as it sits enclosed in his warm, dark pocket.

It doesn't pay to think too much while reading Reacher books.

[Jenny]

Thanks Prancer, at least i started at the beginning. So far I am absolutely loving the book but work keeps getting in the way of me finishing it. LOL I love this sort of mystery books. The type that are fairly straightforward without the mind bending twists at the end although I do wish Child had given his hero at least a nap sack. I mean wearing the same undies for days at a time?! Eww....

Thanks - the reason I asked you specifically is I gave this book to my husband for Christmas, and I think you and he have some similar tastes. He reads mostly non-fiction, a lot of it pretty heavy, so I thought this would be a nice diversion

I read the first few pages and thought it was well written, so I might read it first while he slogs through yet another tome on the conflict in the Middle East.

Think of how nasty that toothbrush must be after he's been toting it around, all folded up, in his pocket. Every time I read about it, all I can think of is all the bacteria breeding away on the damp toothbrush as it sits enclosed in his warm, dark pocket.

It doesn't pay to think too much while reading Reacher books.

Reminds me of a friend years ago who used to show up at cottage weekends with a case of beer and a toothbrush sticking out of his breast pocket, and nothing else.

[Cachoo]

I just finished two books:

"I'd Know You Anywhere" by Laura Lippman - I've read another of her books ("What the Dead Know") and this was similar - adult female with tragedy from her teen years in the '80s that isn't exactly what you think, and both books are told both in the present and the past. The previous book irked me, this one was similiar but less annoying, but mostly I think Lippman has interesting ideas that turn into tedious stories.

"Broken Harbor" by Tana French - she was my big discovery a year ago, I read all 3 of the previous Dublin Murder Squad books in about 3 weeks then had to wait for this one to come out in the summer. Started reading it and then wandered off for a while. This book also follows a formula - using a side character from the previous novel as the protagonist, with a past that affects the current case. The criminal case was very interesting, but the main character's personal life issues were boring, and I couldn't muster any sympathy for his family predicament at all. Even her writing, which usually draws me in no matter what's going on with the plot, felt a little flat and formulaic this time around. I'd still say it's a good book, but I had high expectations that weren't quite met.

I think my favorite fictional detective is Lippman's Tess Monaghan although I enjoy her other fiction as well.

Christina Bartalomeo has three novels and I am enjoying each one. "Cupid and Diana" was adapted for a movie with Mary-Louise Parker but as so often the case I like the book more than the film. Now I'm reading "On the Side of the Angels" and "Snowed In." I don't like the term chic lit but I suspect these books might fit the definition.

[Rex]

Damn it, Rex, now I have to read it .

Make sure you hold off on eating beforehand...
Not for the squeamish. Scotty Bowers must have lived on an oyster farm .

[Buzz]

Now for book two "Die Trying".

[zaphyre14]

I read Priscilla Royal's "Valley of Dry Bones" over the weekend. It's a medieval mystery, part of the Tyndal priory series. While I enjoyed it in general, the series has gotten increasingly preachy along the way, with almost all of the major characters agonizing over the wretched states of their souls. In fact the actual murderer is the only one we learn almost nothing about, which left me feeling dissatisfied with the conclusion.

Now I'm into Kate Mosse's "Labyrinth" given to me by a friend who thought that because I like Gabaldon's Outlander saga, I might like this one since it has elements of history, time travel, etc. I'm about a hundred pages in (it's a huge book) and it hasn't really grabbed me yet (the present-tense prologues didn't help) but I'll keep plugging along.

[Grannyfan]

I recently finished Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper, which I liked better than The Forgotten Hours but not as much as The House at Riverton. Next up is The Light Between Oceans.

[Marge_Simpson]

Ian Rankin was a hoot, as always. If he wasn't a writer he could have a fabulous career as a stand-up comic.
Did you know that, for a donation to charity, Ian will name one of the minor characters in one of his books for you? I suspect I couldn't afford it, but I think that would be a really cool gift for someone. Ian said "Peacock Johnson" (from "A Question of Blood") paid a handsome sum and requested that Ian name Peacock's sidekick, Wee Evil Bob, for one of his friends. Ian complied, and then discovered he'd been pranked.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-new-book.html

[Spinner]

Next up is The Light Between Oceans.

Oh, this is a very good book! Have tissues when you get to the end!

[Spinner]

Margaret Atwood fans, her final book in the Maddaddam trilogy, simply called Maddaddam, pubs this Sept 13 in the US!