As the Page Turns (the Book Thread)

[A.H.Black]

Can someone please remind me what the "skating" novel was a while ago (a year?) that several people talked about and reviewed. Was it "Blade"?

 

[Trillian]

Someone made a modern murder mystery out of Little Women. It sounds so unhinged, I might have to read it just for funsies. (It wouldn't be the first LW retelling I've read!)

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Beth-Is-Dead/Katie-Bernet/9781665988698

I stayed home sick today and ended up finishing the book this afternoon. If you take out the Little Women angle, I’d call it a solid YA mystery. I didn’t guess the ending too early but also didn’t feel like it came out of nowhere. It’s not my usual genre, but I liked it enough that I’d pick up another book by this author.

The LW tie-in is more interesting than most straight retellings because part of the storyline is that the girls’ dad has written a controversial book about them called (of course) Little Women. A huge part of the storyline is how they’re each dealing with strangers’ perceptions of them, the way they’re misunderstood or reduced to stereotypes in the online discourse, and of course any of us reading this book as fans of the actual Little Women are also implicated in that because we know them as characters in a book too. Since a lot of us have seen/read multiple adaptations over the years, I thought it was a really fun approach to consider the way these characters have been imagined and reimagined.

 

[Wyliefan]

Interesting choice to make their dad the author instead of Jo!

 

[Trillian]

Jo is still a writer in her own right! I didn’t love the idea of their dad as the author of the book in the beginning, but I ended up thinking it worked pretty well. The way each of the girls navigates her own ambitions in the wake of his book’s publication is probably the most important thread in the story.

 

[georgiana08]

Can someone please remind me what the "skating" novel was a while ago (a year?) that several people talked about and reviewed. Was it "Blade"?

The Favorites?

 

[A.H.Black]

That was probably it. Thanks. I have a friend who is reading a novel about figure skating called "Blade". She is enjoying it. I just wondered if it was the one that was discussed so much.

 

[puglover]

The latest book by Frieda McFadden "Dear Debbie" is released. I suspect if you are a fan of her this book will not disappoint - especially if you entertain secret thoughts of revenge in your own life you can only dream of. The audible book is narrated by Julia Whelan, January Lavoy, and Scott Brick. They are a dream team together for me.

Also, new on the scene is the latest Pendergast book - I think called Pendergast: The Beginning. Apparently, it is not about his sketchy family history or marriage to Helen but is about his beginning with the FBI and first case. Again, if you are a fan of the Child/Preston writing it seems like readers feel it is a winner.

 

[her grace]

Another one you may enjoy, not Higashino (but keep reading him) is The Decagon House Murders. It's an homage to And Then There Were None and it's even mentioned in the storyline, but great all the same on it's own. Hulu Japan turned it into a miniseries at the beginning of the year, and that was also brilliant.

I just finished this book and loved it! Thanks, Tony, for the recommendation. It was a page-turning distraction from the Olympics, a very intriguing puzzle.

 

[tony]

I just finished this book and loved it! Thanks, Tony, for the recommendation. It was a page-turning distraction from the Olympics, a very intriguing puzzle.

I read constantly and this one still sits on my mind as so brilliant. And if you can believe it, the Hulu Japan adaptation doesn’t even twist any of the story around and they still pull it off!

 

[puglover]

I just listened to "Catch and Kill - Lies, Spies and Conspiracy to Protect Predators" both written and read by Rowan Farrow. It is not new - 2019 - but I had forgotten what a high and mighty sleaze bag Harvey Weinstein was and how many protected him. He is just a sickening human being.

Also, I finished "The Beginning" - new Pendergast book - and I certainly recommend it if you go in for that type of thing.

 

[intheknow]

I was wondering if anyone has read the book “Blades” by Wendy Walker? She is a well known thriller/mystery writer who trained as a competitive skater as a teenager. It just came out February 1 and has received good reviews. I would love to hear any feedback.